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Warmatrix

War Matrix - Ship-of-the-line

Age of Reason 1620 CE - 1750 CE, Weapons and technology

Zeven Provinciën by Cornelis de Vries
Zeven Provinciën by Cornelis de Vries
The ship-of-the-line was the standard heavy warship from the 17th to 19th century CE.
Around the middle of the 17th century CE, the ship-of-the-line evolved out of the galleon. This was a time when cannons became more and more important in naval battles and boarding became rare. English and Dutch navies were the first to adopt the line-of-battle tactic, where opposing fleets sailed past each other in long lines, pounding each other with broadside volleys. The battle line largely prevented ships from being 'raked', i.e. hit from the vulnerable front or rear.
In response to the new tactics, ship design was adapted. High fore- and aft-castles, useful in boarding but decreasing maneuverability, were dispensed with. Instead ships grew larger, sturdier and got more guns. The largest ships increased the number of gun decks from two to three or even four. Very large ships were rare and served as flagships for admirals. This growth in size was gradual. The heaviest warships in the 17th century seldom surpassed 2,000 tons, while around 1800 CE this was considered to be medium size. The number of guns per ship grew alongside with their size.
By the middle of the 18th century CE, the most common ship-of-the-line was the French "74", named after its 74 guns, developed in the 1740's CE. This type of ship had a good balance between firepower and maneuverability, though it was quite expensive. It was 50 - 58 meters long, 14 meters wide, displaced 2,000 - 3,000 tons, carried 500 - 700 men and had three gun decks. Typical armament was 28 heavy 24/36-pounders on the lower gun deck; 28 - 30 medium 18/24-pounders on the upper gun deck; 14 - 18 light 6/12-pounders on the top deck.
Large ships-of-the-line took several years to build. They could remain serviceable for more than 20 years, provided they received regular maintenance and a complete refit every 4 - 5 years.
While ships-of-the-line fought the great naval battles, lighter ships like frigates, corvettes, brigs, schooners and sloops performed other tasks: screening, reconnaissance, chasing and capture of lighter ships. These also proved more able in harassing enemy trade routes, which where the prizes in almost all wars that were fought at sea.
Ships-of-the-line ruled the seas for about two centuries. By the middle of the 19th century CE they were made obsolete by the appearance of steam powered and especially ironclad ships.