The gunboat is a light warship, armed with one or more pieces of artillery.
With a shallow draft, the gunboat can operate in shallow waters (rivers, lakes, canals, etc.). It was widely used during colonization operations (Africa, Asia).
Evolution
At the end of the 17th century, the first gunboats appeared, a large boat with a sail and at least one cannon; very unwieldy due to the weight of the armament, their role was confined to the defense of the ports. In the middle of the 19th century, a mixed sail-steam propulsion system was adopted for larger vessels, the gunboats.
This type of ship was gradually abandoned between the two wars.
Nowadays several types of ships have taken over the missions of the gunboat:
the aviso, to ensure the link between the land and a squadron;
the speedboat for the protection and surveillance of the coast, and which can be equipped with missile ramps;
the aircraft carrier, with a range multiplied by its on-board aviation, is a major element of power projection.
Representations
The film La Canonnière du Yang-Tse by Robert Wise (1966) illustrates its use in China during the period of colonization, at the beginning of the 20th century
Gunboat diplomacy
The expression “gunboat politics” still recalls to what extent the gunboat was a symbol of the projection of power until the beginning of the 20th century. The "gunboat policy" consisted of firing cannons from the sea at the coasts of states that did not pay their financial debts. It was abolished by the Drago-Porter convention in 1907.
It was widely used in France, during the intervention in the harbor of Agadir by Guillaume II in 1911, of the gunboat Panther.