alternatehistory.com

So, how viable are rams as a ship's weapon in the era of steam propulsion? By the way, I'm not asking a comparison between them and guns/torpedoes/other naval weapons; I just want to know whether rams worked at all. It seems unlikely that any ship could ram another of equal or greater size without taking an unhealthy (or possibly even lethal) amount of damage itself. Furthermore, I fail to see how the ram on a ship could produce more than a dent if it hit its target at an angle. So are rams really a viable weapon, or are they just fancy decorations with no legitimate use?
Top