A ship of the line is a sailing warship made of wood with a displacement of up to 6,000 tons. They had up to 135 guns on the sides, arranged in several rows, and up to 800 crew members. These ships were used in battles at sea using the so-called battle tactics of the line in the 17th-19th centuries.
Appearance of battleships
The name "ship of the line" has been known since the days of the sailing fleet. During a naval battle, the multideckers lined up in one line in order to fire a volley of all the guns at the enemy. It was the simultaneous fire from all the onboard guns that caused significant damage to the enemy. Soon, this battle tactic began to be called linear. The formation of a line of ships during naval battles was first used by the English and Spanish navies in the early 17th century.
The progenitors of battleships are galleons with heavy weapons, carracks. The first mention of them appeared in Europe at the beginning of the 17th century. These models of battleships were much lighter and shorter than galleons. Such qualities allowedthey are faster to maneuver, that is, line up sideways to the enemy. It was necessary to line up in such a way that the bow of the next ship was necessarily directed to the stern of the previous one. Why weren't they afraid to expose the sides of the ships to enemy attacks? Because the multi-layered wooden sides were the reliable protection of the ship from enemy nuclei.
The process of formation of battleships
Shortly, a multi-deck sailing ship of the line appeared, which for more than 250 years became the main means of waging war at sea. Progress did not stand still, thanks to the latest methods of calculating the hulls, it became possible to cut through the cannon ports in several tiers at the very beginning of the construction. Thus, it was possible to calculate the strength of the ship even before it was launched. In the middle of the 17th century, a clear distinction between classes arose:
- Old two-deck. These are ships whose decks are located one above the other. They are filled with 50 cannons firing at the enemy through the windows in the sides of the ship. These floating craft did not have sufficient power for line combat and were mainly used as escorts for convoys.
- Double-deck ships of the line with 64 to 90 guns represented the bulk of the fleet.
- Three- or four-deck ships with 98-144 combat guns played the role of flagships. A fleet containing 10-25 such ships could control trade lines and, in case of military action, block them for the enemy.
Differences between battleships and others
The sailing equipment of frigates and battleships is the same - three-masted. Each had direct sails. But still, the frigate and the ship of the line have some differences. The first has only one closed battery, and the battleships have several. In addition, the latter have a much larger number of guns, this also applies to the height of the sides. But frigates are more maneuverable and can operate even in shallow water.
A ship of the line differs from a galleon by straight sails. In addition, the latter does not have a rectangular turret at the stern and a latrine at the bow. The ship of the line is superior to the galleon both in speed and maneuverability, as well as in artillery combat. The latter is more suited for boarding combat. Among other things, they were very often used to transport troops and cargo.
Appearance of battleships in Russia
Before the reign of Peter I, there were no such structures in Russia. The first Russian ship of the line was called "Goto Predestination". By the twenties of the 18th century, the Russian Imperial Navy already included 36 such ships. At the beginning, these were complete copies of Western models, but by the end of the reign of Peter I, Russian battleships began to have their own distinctive features. They were much shorter, had less shrinkage, which negatively affected seaworthiness. These ships were very well suited to the conditions of the Azov and then the B altic Seas. The emperor himself was directly involved in the design and construction. Ownname - The Russian Imperial Fleet was worn by the Russian Navy from October 22, 1721 to April 16, 1917. Only people from the nobility could serve as naval officers, and recruits from the common people could serve as sailors on ships. Their service in the Navy was for life.
Battleship "The Twelve Apostles"
"12 Apostles" was laid down in 1838 and launched in 1841 in the city of Nikolaev. This is a ship with 120 guns on board. In total, there were 3 ships of this type in the Russian fleet. These ships were distinguished not only by their elegance and beauty of forms, they had no equal in battle among sailing ships. The battleship "12 Apostles" was the first in the Russian Imperial Navy, which was armed with new bomb guns.
The fate of the ship was such that it did not manage to participate in any battle of the Black Sea Fleet. His body remained intact and did not receive a single hole. But this ship became an exemplary training center, it provided the defense of Russian forts and fortresses in the west of the Caucasus. In addition, the ship was engaged in the transportation of land troops and went on long voyages for 3-4 months. The ship was subsequently scuttled.
The reasons why battleships have lost their importance
The position of wooden battleships as the main force at sea has been shaken by the development of artillery. Heavy bombing guns easily pierced the wooden board with bombs stuffed with gunpowder,thereby causing serious damage to the ship and causing fires. If earlier artillery did not pose a big threat to ship hulls, then bombing guns could launch Russian battleships to the bottom with just a few dozen hits. Since that time, the question arose of protecting structures with metal armor.
In 1848, the screw propulsion and relatively powerful steam engines were invented, so wooden sailboats slowly began to leave the scene. Some ships were refitted and equipped with steam units. Several large ships with sails were also produced, they were habitually called linear.
Linear ships of the Russian Imperial Fleet
In 1907, a new class of ships appeared, in Russia they were called linear, or in short - battleships. These are armored artillery warships. Their displacement ranged from 20 to 65 thousand tons. If we compare battleships of the 18th century and battleships, the latter have a length of 150 to 250 m. They are armed with a gun of caliber from 280 to 460 mm. The crew of the battleship - from 1500 to 2800 people. The ship was used to destroy the enemy as part of a combat formation and artillery support for ground operations. The name of the ships was given not so much in memory of battleships, but because they needed to revive the tactics of battle of the line.
