6. Fireships Feared but Unused
Fireships, vessels laden with combustibles and set adrift to ignite enemy ships, were once dreaded in naval warfare. However, at the Battle of Trafalgar, neither the British nor the combined French and Spanish fleets employed them. This absence was unexpected, given their historical effectiveness in earlier conflicts. The reasons for their non-use at Trafalgar remain a subject of historical inquiry (rmg.co.uk).
