Fireship Tactics: offensive strategies, part one

For what purposes, and under which circumstances, might a captain choose to utilize the Fireship as an offensive weapon?

A brief exploration of some possible motives:

1. Fireship used as the ultimate terror weapon on the high seas. The temerity of a captain who chooses to torch a perfectly good sailing vessel is frightening in its own right. Some would deem such a captain insane. Not unlike the suicide bombers of today, the captain who chooses to utilize a Fireship must believe in the righteousness of the mission and in addition, must be willing to succeed in this mission despite the high personal and material costs. To instill the maximum terror upon the enemy, the Fireship captain must be willing to do the unthinkable. This ability to place completion of the mission above a variety personal motivations seems the hallmark of one willing to unleash Fireships against an enemy.

2. Fireship used as distraction or feint. This motive seems possible, but weak. A captain could choose to utilize the Fireship to distract an opponent, to occupy an opponent's forces in order to reposition or maneuver other craft into position. Destroying one's ship seems a costly choice, especially to perform a feint maneuver. A captain with relatively vast resources may choose this option, although the more frugal among us may call such a move "foolhardy". A well-disguised Fireship feint-attack, however, can increase confusion among the opponent's forces.

3. Fireship used as harbor clearing weapon. In order to drive an opponent from their moorings, the Fireship can be unleashed within a harbor. Utilizing the Fireship in this manner increases the terror-value of the attacking raid: the opponent will likely be unprepared for such attack while comfortably at anchorage. The close proximity of opposing forces within the harbor increases the effectiveness of the Fireship attack: many vessels can be damaged or destroyed simultaneously.

4. Fireship used as "weapon-of-last-resort". This motive seems most plausible (and dramatic). A captain would choose to sacrifice the Fireship in order to overcome the power of a superior opponent. Being the "weapon-of-last-resort", the Fireship would be prepared and deployed with great precision and care. As the last-chance weapon, the Fireship's value to achieving the mission goals would necessarily be inestimable.

Fireship soundtrack music

a couple of cool instrumental bands that might just change your life:

the Blue Hawaiians

the Bitch Boys

LISTEN: the Blue Hawaiians play Mancini's "Charade"

LISTEN: the Bitch Boys play "Blejski Venck"

The Fireships of Tripoli 

The Fireship: an introduction to a metaphor

Fire has, since the beginning of time, been utilized as an effective nautical weapon: simply put, wood ships burn. The Greeks and Phonecians may have originated the technology of the Fireship: a specially modified craft jam-packed with incendiaries, explosives and flammables which is ignited and then sent careening into a target vessel. The effect of this weapon was terrifying. A demonic-ship-of-fire that sacrifices herself in order to destroy another. During the days of tall-masted wood and canvas ships, no other weapon struck as much terror into the hearts of seamen as did the Fireship. In a sense, the Fireship was an early terrorist weapon, and to the sailor, definitely a weapon of mass destruction. What worse fate than to be incinerated while afloat?

Typically, Fireships were outfitted with their infernal cargoes well hidden. The idea was to fully disguise a Fireship in order to avoid drawing undue attention. The ship was outfitted in a secret port, and then maneuvered into the battle area by a skeleton crew. Typically, this skeleton crew would raise sail and banners and pretend to be just another "ship-of-the-line". In a highly synchronized maneuver, the crew would light smoldering punks below decks and ready the lifeboats abaft. At the last possible moment, the sails would be tacked and the wheel would be blocked. As the Fireship quickly changed course, she was headed straight towards her target. Meanwhile, the skeleton crew would quickly abandon ship. The Fireship then completed her malevolent mission unguided.

Rigging lines and woodbeam crossarms would intertwine in a fiery dance of death. The flames ignite, the terror comlete. "Thems that die be the lucky ones!"

NEWS FLASH: Secular Humanism pervades public educational institutions

File this dispatch under: RANT.

Today, I received a tongue lashing from a parent because I classified humans as "Animals" during a Junior High science lecture. The lecture was an attempt to explain the various sub-fields of scientific inquiry: physical science, life science, earth science and applied science. My attempt was to distinguish between the realms of physical science (inanimate science) and life science (animate science). Life science, I explained, has many sub-specialties: biology, botany, zoology, medicine, ecology, etceteras. Biology, I continued, is usually divided into animal biology and plant biology, and additionally, single-cell biology. Needless to say, the student was surprised to find out that scientifically, humans are classified as animals. Unlike plants, humans eat, digest and defecate and are highly mobile. Humans possess specialized animal organs and tissues. Humans do not normally photosynthesize. A straight-forward classification, so I thought.

Little did I know, that since the mid-14th century, secular humanism has been running rampant in our public education system. Of course I knew about Thomas Hobbs, John Locke, Niccolo Machiavelli and Adam Smith...and of course I knew about the tumultuous period known as the Elightenment...but, I obviously I was unaware of the rampant secular humanist conspiracy to take over the minds of our youth. Perhaps I was wrong to suggest that of course, since our US Constitution was prefaced and based upon these heretical secular humanist philosophies, than it only made sense that our entire public education system was nothing more than a shady humanistic sham intended to sway unsuspecting young minds into the satanic fold of the Evolutionary Darwinists. As Huxley once said: "you pays your money, and you takes your chances."

Perhaps our publicly funded education systems should teach church doctrine. The confusing part for me will be deciding which church I'm supposed represent. I like what the Catholic doctrine has to offer, maybe I should teach that. No wait, perhaps the shamanistic Native American religions have a more invigorating viewpoint, I'll try that. Or, better yet, perhaps the State can guide my decision, the State could definitely decide which doctrine would be best for me to teach. I mean, heck, they already decided that I should teach the secular humanist heresy, right?

The point is, that perhaps our Constitution represents something more than a simple piece of paper I use to justify my personal positions and philosophies in life. Perhaps it serves as a sort of criterion intended to governs the machinations of a "free" nation. Then again, perhaps the founding father's were nothing more than money-grubbing-secular-humanist-proto-Darwinists-lying-in wait-to-devour-our-God-fearing-Cotton-Mather-Puritan-souls.