In the late 1800s and early 1900s, increases in metallurgic technology and better manufacturing methods made naval artillery a more powerful force. Guns could fire more powerful shells that could travel farther and hit a target with much greater accuracy. Torpedoes represented a major threat to even the most powerful of warships, forcing captains to keep their ships from straying too close to the enemy. These factors combined to change battleship engagements from close-range brawls (practically close enough to jump from one ship to another) to long-range (as far as 23,800 meters, or approximately 14.8 miles) artillery barrages. This lesson provides an opportunity for students to use mathematical modeling and explore right-triangle trigonometry in the context of protecting battleships.