I wrote this in response to a question on the main discussion board.
The twin pillars of my naval tactics are attacks on the enemy’s sails and maneuver. Sails are the weak point of every fighting ship, save those with oars or steam. A fighting ship that has been immobilized can be captured at my leisure.
In order to attack an enemy’s sails effectively, I need to position my ship directly downwind from the enemy’s ship. Ideally, the enemy will be sailing directly with the wind so that his sails are full and taut when my chain shot hits them. In any event, my objective is to inspire the enemy to chase my ship as close to direction of the wind as possible. For the moment, let’s assume I’m using a sloop against an enemy’s frigate. I maneuver my sloop in a serpentine—a series of S shapes—at maximum gunnery range for my sloop. As my sloop turns broadside to the enemy’s frigate, the sloop fires a broadside. Immediately, I turn my sloop away and into another split-S so that the other broadside can fire. Repeat as necessary. It will take a few salvoes to reduce the integrity of the enemy’s sails by half. It may take twelve or fifteen more broadsides to effectively immobilize the enemy frigate, but I seldom use a sloop for that job.
Against another sloop or brig, I have to change tactics. My sloop is quite vulnerable to counter-fire from small enemy vessels with comparable maneuverability. More than once I have delivered a broadside against the enemy’s sails, only to have the target drop his sails, turn, and fire a broadside of his own against my sloop’s sails. This sort of thing usually results in an immediate loss of half of my sloop’s sails, which effectively takes my sloop out of the fight. To prevent this, I run a course as close to the wind as possible ahead of the enemy sloop or brig and parallel—not directly in front of the enemy. Over several seconds, I edge my sloop’s bow towards the enemy’s track, maintaining full sail the whole time. When I reach about 45 degrees to the enemy’s track, I cut speed to half sail and turn to deliver a broadside. The instant the broadside goes out, I go back to full sail and resume my course running straight ahead of the wind. This tactic usually takes me out of the enemy’s field of fire just in time. Once the enemy’s sails have been reduced by half, he’s essentially out of the turning fight.
Sloops are useful against other sloops, brigs, sixth rates, fifth rates, and fluyts. Galleons are a bit too tough for sloops to tackle reliably, as are fourth rates and larger ships. Even fifth rates present certain hazards because they have forward-firing cannon. Some will use brigs against galleons with success. I prefer to use sixth rates against galleons and fourth rates.
Once I have reduced an enemy vessel’s sails by half with chain shot, I vector in a frigate or heavier ship to finish the job of destroying the enemy’s sails completely. This done, I approach the crippled ship from behind and rake her with grape shot. Fifth rates and fourth rates are quite useful in this role. It is seldom necessary to board an enemy’s ship to cause her to surrender, although one should be prepared to do so. Against very large enemy vessels, very large friendly vessels firing grape shot may be necessary. Though I have never constructed a second rate ship-of-the-line myself, I like to keep one on-hand with my most important fleets to compel the enemy to surrender quickly. A broadside of grape shot from a second rate settles the matter quickly.
In the 150 or so naval engagements I have fought, by far the most useful ships have been my sloops and fifth rates. My sloops have the speed and agility to get into a favorable firing position or just stay out of the enemy’s gun range, while the fifth rates combine good maneuverability, firepower, and survivability. Whatever a fifth rate can’t outgun, she can out turn and outrun.
The musket is for fixing and softening the enemy. The bayonet is for destroying him.
The twin pillars of my naval tactics are attacks on the enemy’s sails and maneuver. Sails are the weak point of every fighting ship, save those with oars or steam. A fighting ship that has been immobilized can be captured at my leisure.
In order to attack an enemy’s sails effectively, I need to position my ship directly downwind from the enemy’s ship. Ideally, the enemy will be sailing directly with the wind so that his sails are full and taut when my chain shot hits them. In any event, my objective is to inspire the enemy to chase my ship as close to direction of the wind as possible. For the moment, let’s assume I’m using a sloop against an enemy’s frigate. I maneuver my sloop in a serpentine—a series of S shapes—at maximum gunnery range for my sloop. As my sloop turns broadside to the enemy’s frigate, the sloop fires a broadside. Immediately, I turn my sloop away and into another split-S so that the other broadside can fire. Repeat as necessary. It will take a few salvoes to reduce the integrity of the enemy’s sails by half. It may take twelve or fifteen more broadsides to effectively immobilize the enemy frigate, but I seldom use a sloop for that job.
Against another sloop or brig, I have to change tactics. My sloop is quite vulnerable to counter-fire from small enemy vessels with comparable maneuverability. More than once I have delivered a broadside against the enemy’s sails, only to have the target drop his sails, turn, and fire a broadside of his own against my sloop’s sails. This sort of thing usually results in an immediate loss of half of my sloop’s sails, which effectively takes my sloop out of the fight. To prevent this, I run a course as close to the wind as possible ahead of the enemy sloop or brig and parallel—not directly in front of the enemy. Over several seconds, I edge my sloop’s bow towards the enemy’s track, maintaining full sail the whole time. When I reach about 45 degrees to the enemy’s track, I cut speed to half sail and turn to deliver a broadside. The instant the broadside goes out, I go back to full sail and resume my course running straight ahead of the wind. This tactic usually takes me out of the enemy’s field of fire just in time. Once the enemy’s sails have been reduced by half, he’s essentially out of the turning fight.
Sloops are useful against other sloops, brigs, sixth rates, fifth rates, and fluyts. Galleons are a bit too tough for sloops to tackle reliably, as are fourth rates and larger ships. Even fifth rates present certain hazards because they have forward-firing cannon. Some will use brigs against galleons with success. I prefer to use sixth rates against galleons and fourth rates.
Once I have reduced an enemy vessel’s sails by half with chain shot, I vector in a frigate or heavier ship to finish the job of destroying the enemy’s sails completely. This done, I approach the crippled ship from behind and rake her with grape shot. Fifth rates and fourth rates are quite useful in this role. It is seldom necessary to board an enemy’s ship to cause her to surrender, although one should be prepared to do so. Against very large enemy vessels, very large friendly vessels firing grape shot may be necessary. Though I have never constructed a second rate ship-of-the-line myself, I like to keep one on-hand with my most important fleets to compel the enemy to surrender quickly. A broadside of grape shot from a second rate settles the matter quickly.
In the 150 or so naval engagements I have fought, by far the most useful ships have been my sloops and fifth rates. My sloops have the speed and agility to get into a favorable firing position or just stay out of the enemy’s gun range, while the fifth rates combine good maneuverability, firepower, and survivability. Whatever a fifth rate can’t outgun, she can out turn and outrun.
The musket is for fixing and softening the enemy. The bayonet is for destroying him.