# How damaging would a cannonball be today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163 "2024-02-27T12:39:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/81 "2024-03-04T00:06:12Z")
“It’s all tax deductible We’re evil and corruptible While sailing on the Wide Accountant Sea!” 🎵 ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2024, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/82 "2024-03-17T19:29:26Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > minor bump=collapse Here’s another one said to be from yesterday. Ope. [https://www.reddit.com/r/CatastrophicFailure/comments/1bh06cd/container\_ship\_crashes\_into\_cranes\_at\_a\_dock\_in/](https://www.reddit.com/r/CatastrophicFailure/comments/1bh06cd/container_ship_crashes_into_cranes_at_a_dock_in/) ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/83 "2024-03-18T11:14:01Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Here’s another one said to be from yesterday. > Ope. > [https://www.reddit.com/r/CatastrophicFailure/comments/1bh06cd/container\_ship\_crashes\_into\_cranes\_at\_a\_dock\_in/](https://www.reddit.com/r/CatastrophicFailure/comments/1bh06cd/container_ship_crashes_into_cranes_at_a_dock_in/) The video there has been pulled, but based on the description, I think it’s this one on YouTube: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_u02lUD5lSo/maxresdefault.jpg "YM Witness - The vessel "YM Witness" hit and destroyed 3 SSG cranes in Evyap port , Izmit, Turkey.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u02lUD5lSo) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/84 "2024-03-18T15:51:02Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I think it’s this one Yes, that was it, though yours is better. The one I posted only had the first clip from across the water. I wonder why they took it down. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/85 "2024-03-18T17:29:32Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I’d increase my chances of hitting something structural by shooting on an angle, diagonally both across the horizontal floors, and with some vertical elevation. Basically, aim for the corners. > > ETA: look at this photo to see what I mean. On one angle, the framing is mostly “empty space”, so if you miss the first column, the cannonball will likely pass through the whole building with little serious damage. But on another angle, there’s a lot more columns occupying at least some of the cross section, so your odds of hitting one go up significantly. This is known as enfilade firing. It has a far greater change of hitting things, although originally intended for use against troops on the battle field. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/86 "2024-03-18T17:40:11Z")
Landlubber! At sea it’s called [raking fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raking_fire). ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/87 "2024-03-18T17:52:45Z")
Blasphemy! When you get your skyscrapers to float then we’ll rake 'em, by gum. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/88 "2024-03-22T13:08:10Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Slightly off topic (sorry) but how would one demolish a building made of big steel beams? Use a mortar ball and fill it with jet fuel. \< runs away \> ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163/89 "2024-03-24T00:55:13Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Slightly off topic (sorry) but how would one demolish a building made of big steel beams? Will explosives wrapped around a vertical I-beam actually sever it, or is the process relying on buckling, like our hypothetical cannon-ball or a wrecking ball scenarios? One way is to cut the beams with a torch to weaken them, then induce a load like a side load with chains to pull the building down in a controlled way. Another is to erect temporary beams that can be taken down in a controlled fashion, then cut the steel beams. Yet another method used in Japan is to put the whole building on jacks, then dismantle it one floor at a time, resetting the jacks each time… Cutting steel beams isn’t the problem. The problem as I understand it is that the beams bend and buckle when the building is coming down, which can cause it to come down in unexpected ways. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-damaging-would-a-cannonball-be-today/998163.md?page=4)