A ceramic stinkpot, sometimes called a “thunder stone,” was a useful weapon both on land and at sea. Filled with gunpowder, nails, metal balls, and materials that would stink when ignited, these weapons could cause great harm. One account by a British sailor in AD 1856 describes several stinkpots packed into bags and baskets with pieces of lighted incense. The containers were then thrown on the deck of an enemy ship, causing the pots to shatter and the gunpowder to ignite. The explosion, noxious smoke, and projectiles would effectively disable any nearby crew and, sometimes, the ship.