Ship of the line

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The HMS Dauntless, one of the best known ships of the line of the British Royal Navy.

A ship of the line, line-of-battle ship or lineship was a type of naval warship man-of-war constructed from the 17th century through the mid-18th century, and mounting 50-120 cannons. They had two, three, or the rare four gundecks, not counting forecastle and quarterdeck. Ships of the Line were usually square rigged.

History

Ships of the Line fought in the naval tactic known as the line-of-battle (hence their name), in which one or two columns of opposing warships would sail at each other each firing broadsides in succession at the enemy ship leading the enemy line. The reason for this was the slow reload of muzzle-loading cannons. With the line-of-battle tactic, more shot is fired at the lead enemy ship than if the ships remained stationary, reloading over periods of 2-5 minutes. Since these engagements were almost invariably won by the heaviest ships carrying the most powerful guns, the natural state of progression was to build the largest, most powerful sailing vessels at the time. If a vessel in the line was to sink or blow up, the line breaks.

Ship of the Line ratings

Ships of the Line were classified into four rates. First rates, like the HMS Dauntless and the HMS Endeavour, had 100 or more cannons, with 3-4 gundecks. Second rates carried 90-98 cannons, spread over three gundecks. Third rates carried 64-80 cannons, over two gundecks. Third rates were very common ships of the line, especially the heavy, yet agile 74 gunner. Fourth rates carried 50-60 cannons, and could only be considered ships of the line if they had a minimum of two gundecks. If they had less than two gundecks, they would be considered frigates.

Notable Ships of the line

A battle between the Spanish Royal Navy ship of the line and the pirate ship Nemesis.

• HMS Dauntless
• HMS Endeavour
• Monarch
• Essex
• HMS Success
• HMS Diamond
• HMS Phoenix
• HMS Invincible
• HMS Newcastle
• HMS Victory
• HMS Belette (aka Manowar)
• HMS Belette (third rate, French version)
• HMS Goliath
• La Fleur de la Mort
• Grand Barnacle
• Neptune
• Conqueror
• Intrepid
• Leviathan
• Tally-ho
• Battle-Royale

Appearances

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Pirates of the Caribbean Online
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Movie Graphic Novel
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)

External links

• Ship of the line on Wikipedia