Knives and axes were common among mariners. Even today many mariners carry pocket knives and most ships will carry hatchets and even axes which are used for a variety of uses aboard ship. On ships of war, fighting men will often carry some type of fighting knife; anything from a bayonet to the ever popular K-bar.
Knives and axes for the most part were common tools needed to accomplish everyday tasks. Even the much talked about boarding axe was used to cut fouled lines, and clear away broken timber.
Of course some knives were fighting knives, often referred to as daggers. Such knives were designed to stab and kill. They were often double edged with a very sharp tapering blade. This differed from utility knives which tended to be sharp on only one edge and posses and less pointed blade.
This section looks at the variety of small bladed tools and weapons typically found on a sailing/pirate ship.
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