Bomb Ketches.
Development.
The first recorded deployment of bomb vessels by the English was for the
Siege of Calais in 1347 when
Edward III deployed single deck ships with
bombardes and other artillery. The first specialised bomb vessels were built towards the end of the 17th century, based on the designs of
Bernard Renau d'Eliçagaray, and used by the
French Navy. They were first called
galiote à bombe (a word derived