[FingolfintheBold]

On the sublect of pre-cannon naval warfare, I'm sure i don't know that much more than you, but i do know some. For one thing, blockades were administered and effective before cannon, and were deployed by the Persians, Greeks and Romans. Ships in such naval battles were often equipped with sharp bronze or iron keels with which to ram and crack holes in the opposition. Even smaller ships with such weapons could do great damage, especially if they were fast enough to avoid ramming and still dish it out. And though the bulk of a naval battle was "corraling" with faster ships and then pouring on a raiding party, there certainly was some ballistic weaponry. Catching fire to an enemy ship was the best bet, and ships were often equipped with methods of launching or dumping flaming tar and pitch onto a vessel. Flaming arrows were also popular, as more of an anti-personnel attack rather than to ignite an enemy vessel.

But as for combustibles, we have to look at it from a ME point of veiw. For one thing, ships in ME are nearly always discribed with sails, which early Persian/Greek warships did not employ because of their vulnerability. A ME warship with a vast sail would be much easier to set on fire by raining flaming arrows into the sails, ropework, etc.

As far as the actual numbers in such a battle bettween Aragorn and the Corsairs(Arrrr, matey!) i imagine the Corsairs had a far more ships, as Gondor's navy in this time was likely just enough to gaurd fishing and coastal villages. Aragorn probably took what ships he could in haste, attacked swiftly by night, burning and destroying the enemies and their ships at harbour. I dont think of this as much as a naval battle as a battle involving ships. Aragorn probably never met the Corsairs upon the high seas, at least not in this battle.