Studio Comments: "The Byzantines alone in the West carried forward the ancient traditions of shipbuilding into the Middle Ages. Their improvement over the trireme was the fire ship, a narrow and fast warship powered by both oars and lateen sails. The fighting power of these ships was provided partly by marines, archers, and catapults, but the secret weapon of the Byzantine navy was Greek fire. This extremely volatile mixture was squirted out of hoses from the bow of the fire ship and ignited on contact with air. Fire was a devastating weapon against wooden ships, and the enemies of the Byzantines could not stand up to fire ships spraying Greek fire. Other civilizations acquired the secret of Greek fire at times, but it was so closely guarded and dangerous to use that it is lost today."

Fast Fire Ship: This is an improved version of the fire ship with greater durability. It is available in the Imperial Age.

Studio Comments: "The fire ship was improved over the years to increase its speed and maneuverability. Greek fire was useless unless the fire ship could catch enemy ships and bring its Greek fire hoses into firing position. As ship designs improved, the fire ship had to improve also."

Demolition Ship: This ship is a floating bomb. You simply click on an enemy ship, and the demolition ship will sail over and detonate on impact, damaging all ships in a certain radius. Ensemble says it is perfect for quickly wresting control of the seas from an entrenched opponent. It is strong against all other ships but the galley. The demo ship can even affect ground units on shore.

Studio Comments: "Kings and civilizations without a naval tradition turned to a simple expedient when facing a naval engagement. They loaded an expendable ship with combustibles and a skeleton crew. The doomed ship was then sailed into contact with enemy ships and set alight. When done properly, Demolition ships burned fiercely and exploded, setting adjacent enemy ships on fire also. Wooden ships sealed with pitch and outfitted with flammable rigging and equipment were at great risk of fire and explosion (once gunpowder was aboard). A demolition ship could damage or destroy ships many more times more powerful and valuable, and could be used against seaside buildings."

Heavy Demolition Ship: This is a sturdier version of the demolition ship. It has more hit points and does more damage. Two heavy demolition ships can take down any other vessel. The radius of damage is quite large.

Studio Comments: "Demolition ships were improved by making them larger and filling them with explosives of greater power, especially gunpowder. This resulted in greater explosions and a greater chance of damaging or destroying one or more enemy ships. It could be devastating against a large target or many enemy ships caught bunched together."

Next: More warships