Are there any historical instances of pre-gunpowder siege weaponry being mounted on ships? If so, how effective was this weaponry?

by haremlord
MartinGreywolf

There are, and they were just as effective as their counterparts on land, only with added logistical problems. Well, as effective as their land counterparts at besieging fortifications - they weren't there to be used against other ships, except the occasional balista, and an incident during the so called Last Crusade, when siege engines brought to besiege a city weren't unloaded yet and were used as a support (can't for the life for me remember where I read it, though).

Some examples:

siege tower: http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4974/15413/

trebuchet: http://manuscriptminiatures.com/4974/15438/