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Boarding Weapons of the HMCA:

Photos courtesy of Loyalist Arms.

I: The Cutlass

Getting its name from the Latin "cultellus" or short sword, the cutlass by the 18th century was basically any short version of a sabre. Hangers fall into this category and were carried on land as well as at sea. Rogers Rangers were even known to have listed cutlasses and cuttoes among their supplies during land operations. Early cutlasses were of a design similar to a falchion, with a wide, upswept blade, sharpened on one side. Occasionally the first third of the back edge nearest the tip was sharpened as well. Over two centuries the length remained under 30 inches, the blades being either straight or curved as suited the maker and the hilts ranging from a single scalloped guard to a double guard with or without a knucklbow, to the three-quarter cup guards created by the French in the 1820s and used by America throughout the Civil War.

Texts relating to actual cutlass use are few and extremely limited in their instruction, deriving all their methods from the land-based sabre or Highland Broadsword / backsword. Several texts, in an effort to train a crew quickly in cutlass play even went so far as to limit the cuts and parries to three each.

By building upon what we know now of longknife work, close-quarter combat and incorporating the often forbidden left hand, the knowledge of cutlass technique is broadened drastically and the cutlass is being rediscovered as a fascinating weapon in its own right.

II: Sabres, Hangers and Officers Swords

It would take several pages to detail the history of the saber and the officers sword themselves; however, their use aboard ship may be defined in a few paragraphs.

Shipboard sabers, like their counterpart, the cutlass evolved primarily from the hunting hanger and the infantry hanger, one main difference being the amount of ornamentation applied to an officers sword. The longer land pattern sabres were of little use in the confines of a ship and in relatively no time the shorter sabres found a new home at sea. Portraits from the 1700s and later show naval officers wearing hunting swords, more ornate than the infantry hangers, with silver furniture and ebony or antler grips which would eventually develop into the intricate wire-wrapped or dyed ivory grip of the next century.

William Gilkerson, in his book Boarders Away Vol I states:

"By the time of the American Revolution, a senior naval officer could normally be expected to own a utilitarian blade for actual fighting, and anywhere from one to an entire wardrobe of dress blades for other events."

The officers dress blade was as a rule fancier than his everyday fighting blade but no less deadly. Usually straight bladed, more apt to be used in thrusting but fully capable of a cut, the officers sword appear to have been of a hilt design most like the Small Sword of the latter 18th century. Unless there were certain identifying marks, naval officers swords were nearly identical to those worn by infantry officers.

Both types of sword, while created and worn to mark the gentleman, officer and leader of men, were in many cases more than just affectation. In the hands of a capable officer these weapons still played a decisive roll in shipboard combat.

The Boarding Axe: Part I

As one of the most important tools in mankinds history, it is not surprising that the axe found its way to sea. During the heyday of sail and naval warfare, the axe found itself well suited to the chores of shipboard life. For general use, the axe was ideal for heavy cutting and chopping chores, and during the chaotic melee of ship-to-ship combat and boarding actions, it was an indispensable tool for both boarding parties and those being boarded. For defense, the boarding axe could quickly clear away rigging and grapple lines, as well as other wreckage and obstacles that may be cluttering the deck. For the boarding party, the axe was an excellent breeching tool to cut into locked doors and hatches and to create holes through which grenades or firepots and the like could be thrown. And both sides found the boarding axe to be a highly effective weapon for close quarter combat. Almost every ships equipment manifest mentions some form of axe or another, and many records of shipboard combat also note crewmembers wielding axes as weapons in addition to their more general use as tools.

While early axes were no doubt similar to those used on land generally with a fairly broad cutting edge and a medium length haft over the years they developed into several distinct forms.

These axes would often have some form of secondary "head" on the reverse of the cutting edge, generally either a hammer or spike, which allowed it to be an even more versatile tool. The use of the hammer is obvious, while the spike end made an effective pick when needed or could even serve as a sort of "crowbar." The illustration below depicts a naval battle Eustace the Black Monk, a Benedictine monk turned pirate and mercenary during the 13th century. Note the axe with what appears to be a spike on the rear of the head.

Also note the large "battle axe" behind the archer, as well as the man preparing to sling some form of pot.

As the years passed, specific forms of axes came to be identified with different countries. Outlined below are some of these general forms.

England/Britain:

The British boarding axe, particularly that of the mid 18th through 19th century generally had a cutting edge on one side with a spike on the reverse. The hafts were of medium length, often with a rounded end and a lanyard. These are often referred to as "tomahawk" boarding axes. Shorter hafted versions are also common.

The picture above shows a reproduction British "Tomahawk" boarding axe (C) as well as some tomahawks. Note the thickness of the rear spike. (Made by Loyalist Arms)

France:

The French design is similar to the British, with a wider cutting edge. The spike on the rear is generally more curved and slightly thinner, more of an actual "spike" than the pick-like edge on the British pattern.

America:

Not surprisingly, the American axe is similar in design to the British pattern, with two teeth-like cutouts on the underside of the cutting edge. Also, the backspike is much more of a pick design.

These axes are representations of the more common forms of boarding axes. Part II of this article will go into more detail of different variations of these as well as different styles of axes. We will also examine the tomahawk and other "hand axes" and their use aboard ship.