ENGAGEMENT, NAVAL, admits of more precise and terse illustration than a military engagement, because each ship of war is a unit in itself, bounded by a clearly marked watery margin from all the other ships of a fleet.
In the small war-vessels of ancient times, before the invention of gunpowder, a naval E. usually began by running the galleys violently against each other, to crush or sink the enemy by means of the beak or prow. The prows were, for this pur pose, armed with brazen or iron points. On the deck was sometimes a kind of turret filled with soldiers, the probable precursor of the forecastle in modern ships; and there was also frequently a platform for accommodating swordsmen, slingers, and javelin men. High and bulky ships, of no great length, were best for this kind of warfare. Sometimes a massive piece of iron or lead, called a dolphin, was let down violently from the yard-arm, to crush or break through some part of the enemy's vessel. The men fastened sickles to the end of long poles to cut the enemy's rigging and sails. Other means for carrying on a hostile attack were maces with very long handles, stone-throwing machines, and grappling-irons.
In modern ships, preparations for an E. are made with the utmost coolness and precision. The boatswain and his mates communicate to all the crew the order to " clear for action." The men take their hammocks, lower them, tie them up, and carry them to the quarter-deck, poop, forecastle, and other parts of the ship, where they are stowed between a double netting above the gunwale, and form a partial defense against the enemy's musketry. The sails, yards, booms, bowsprit, etc., are secured by strong chains and extra ropes, to prevent or lessen disaSter if they are shot away. The boat
swain and the carpenter collect together, and place at hand all kinds of pieces of wood, iron, rope, and canvas that may be useful in quickly repairing shot-holes and other damage. The gunner and his mates examine the cannon and the filled cartridges, and see that all the implements for gunnery are at hand. The master and his subordinate officers look to the trim and state of the sails. The lieutenants visit all the decks, to see that obstructions of every kind are removed. When the E. is about to begin, the drums beat to arms. Every man repairs to his place. The marines are drawn up in rank and tile on the quarter-deck, poop, and forecastle. The surgeon and his assistants are ready in the cockpit to amputate limbs, extract bullets, and dress wounds. Then begins the battle, which varies in its character according to the number and kind of ships on each side, the nature of the sea, the direction of the wind, and a. multitude of other circumstances. In the British navy, the order of battle for a fleet is ordinarily in two lines, each being divided into the starboard and port division or squadron. When the battle is ended, if it has been a severe one, the probabilities are that many men have been killed or wounded, decks and sides battered and splintered, cannon dismounted, rigging, masts, yards, and sails destroyed or torn. The whole ship's crew, except those disabled, then work hard to get the vessel back into trim; an attempt that frequently cannot be realized without aid from other ships, or from the rdsources of a port.