An iron hand grenade ca 1700

[M ELEY]

It turns out that there is a valid reason why the grenades were different sizes. If you were a foot soldier, you were already weighed down with your fusil and powder horn, pack and other supplies. A smaller bombard/grenade was much better for weight issues, could be cast at an enemy much further and you could carry more of them in a small sack.

Naval ordenance grenades, on the other hand, would be used in a much smaller space, the distance between two ships grapppled together, for instance. They would have been placed in a 'budge' barrel long before the actual engagement and carried by several sailors up into the tops for the coming battle. They would likewise be thrown DOWN onto the deck of an enemy ship and not far across some field. Indeed, the effectiveness of these bombs could turn the very tide of a naval battle, as it did for John Paul Jones during his historic naval battle off of Flamborough Head in 1779. They were deadly missiles, filled nearly to the top with powder and lead shot. Long after their land cousins fell out of favor, these large hand grenades remained a favorite aboard ships.