Shore bombardment began long before gunpowder navies

When did shore bombardment become an effective naval tactic?

In antiquity: ships could bombard land once they carried heavy artillery, including Roman ballistae and catapults.

Shore bombardment did not begin only when cannon appeared aboard sailing warships. The underlying capability exists whenever a vessel can carry artillery heavy enough to affect targets ashore. Roman ships used ballistae and catapults in operations such as the Siege of Syracuse. Gunpowder enlarged the range and destructive power, but it did not invent the ship-to-shore mission.