Could cannon balls from the early 19th century sink warships? At first glance, the hull of the warship that sank off the coast of Acre seemed strong; but a unique experiment indicated that the thick timbers could not withstand the cannon balls. A joint experiment carried out by researchers from the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa and staff of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has solved the riddle that has been puzzling researchers ever since they first observed the thick wooden sides of the sunken ship opposite the shore of Acre: could cannon fire have penetrated the hull? The ship was discovered in 1966, but only since University of Haifa researchers began examining it about three years ago have its mysteries been exposed. The initial matters of interest related to the ship’s origins, date and the reason why it sank. A map drawn up by a British officer in 1799, during Napoleon’s siege of Acre, led the researchers to assume that this was a blockship sunk by the British Another puzzle that has occupied the researchers, however, relates to the thickness of the ship’s hull. According to Dr. Yaacov Kahanov, […]