Q&A · 2:19:50-2:20:14

How late did boarding pikes remain aboard warships?

HMS Warrior is offered as a likely late formal carrier of boarding pikes, with the caveat that later ships may have retained similar weapons unofficially.

Question

What was the last warship to carry boarding pikes as part of its arsenal?

Short answer

Possibly HMS Warrior, although later ships may have retained comparable weapons outside a formal allowance.

Notes

HMS Warrior is tentatively identified as a likely answer for the last ship to carry boarding pikes as part of its formal arsenal. Other ships of the same era probably also retained them. The distinction between official issue and improvised or unofficial weapons prevents a firm terminal date. A mention of later shipboard weapons in the Second World War suggests that close-quarters tools did not disappear as neatly as equipment lists imply.