I've been wondering, how did naval warfare work before the invention of gunpowder cannons? I know the ramming and arrows were used, but I can't really imagine extreme damage to ship by volleys of arrows and javelins. Was combat using marines to jump and attack the other ships' crews. Were the goals of combat to kill the enemy crew and not sink the ship?
you might be interested in this old thread with contributions from myself, u/FlavivsAetivs, and u/Hergrim about naval warfare in the medieval period.