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A 'ram bow' or ''rostrum'' (Latin for 'beak' or 'prow') is form of bow on naval ships which allows one ship to attack another by crashing into it at high speed. The use of ram bows dates back to at least the seventh century BC, according to inscriptions found on the tomb of Phoenician King Sargon II[1] and ramming was the dominant form of naval combat until at least the third century BC, [2] by which time the increased size, bulk and crew complement of naval vessels made boarding operations via gangplank more practical. Nonetheless, ramming long remained an important tactic; even if the opposing vessel was not pierced or sunk, its oars and oarsmen were often sheared off, eliminating its mobility and leaving it helpless. The concurrent development of the catapult allowed for a degree of long-range fire.
Naval warfare remained at this technology level until the 15th and 16th centuries, by which time the cannon had become standard, in broadside emplacement. As with the infantry bayonet, ramming attacks and rostrums diminished in prominence but remained a last-ditch effort; nonetheless, the history of naval warfare up until the 19th century contains many examples of ramming actions, such as at the Battle of Lissa in 1866. [3] The increased manoeuvrability of the steamship over the sailing boat led to a brief resurgence in the use of rams during the American Civil War [4] but the inevitable rise of the ironclad towards the end of the 19th century led to a final decline in the use of ramming attacks. The advent of the all-big-gun battleship, the dreadnought, at the turn of the 20th Century led to the end of the ram bow as over-the-horizon warfare became practical (instead, ships were increasingly fitted with a bulbous bow, albeit for reasons of streamlining and fuel efficiency rather than as an offensive weapon). Notably, the 1906 HMS Dreadnought effected one of the final significant ramming attacks of naval warfare, when it rammed and sank the German submarine U-29 in 1915, becoming the only battleship to ever sink a submarine.
A ram bow is distinct from a clipper bow, which descends diagonally into the water from a prominent leading prow. [5]
The tactic of ramming was not lost when ships were made without ram bows. Ramming can be espcially effective against surfaced or near-surface submarines operating on battery power in confined waters, where their speed and mobility is restricted. Probably the most famous ramming of World War II was the sinking of the patrol torpedo boat PT-109, but relatively unknown until the boat's captain, John F. Kennedy became President of the United States.