How cannon inherited the ram's ship-killing mission

In Mediterranean galley warfare, ramming had been the traditional way to make a large hole that admitted water. Zonchio's guns were still too weak to do that reliably: they could cause splinters and minor damage, with only a limited chance of starting a fire. Damaging oars and other equipment could nevertheless deprive a ship of manoeuvrability and help an opponent capture it. Larger and more accurate cannon eventually took over the hull-breaching mission, prompting stronger construction, thicker hulls, and more guns in return. The result was a continuing cycle of weapon and countermeasure, with no permanent guarantee that one technology would always defeat another. The closing question distinguishes the first battle where a weapon appears from the later battle remembered because that weapon dominates it.