Types of sailing ships. Domestic classification of modern warships

takeoff and landing of aircraft

Air transport- a special vessel designed to transport aviation equipment, but unlike an aircraft carrier, not adapted for takeoff and landing of aircraft or helicopters.

car carrier- a specialized dry-cargo vessel for transporting cars.

cable ship (cable layer) - a vessel for laying, repairing and maintaining sea and ocean communication lines and power transmission.

cable ship (capstan) - a self-propelled river vessel, common in the 19th century on the Volga.

Coaster- a vessel engaged in coastal transportation.

Camara- the Greek name for a small, narrow, light boat of the peoples of the Eastern Black Sea region in antiquity.

Karakora, corocora- sailing and rowing vessel of the Moluccas.

Privateer- a vessel engaged in privateering.

Kapudana- the flagship (hard labor) of the Turkish Kapdan Pasha.

Kleper- a small northern sea vessel of the schooner type, but smaller (length 12-15 m, width 3.5-5 m, draft 1.2-2 m, carrying capacity 15-20 tons). It had 1-2 masts with 1 yard and gaff sails. Due to the long hull with smooth contours, it had good seaworthiness. Another meaning is a type of folding kayak.

Goat- a rowing fishing boat, common in the Black and Azov Seas. .

Komyaga - 1. Cargo-passenger sailing and rowing vessel of the 17th century on the Black Sea coast of Turkey and the Crimea, with a capacity of 85-90 people. 2. A small fishing boat of the 17th-18th centuries on the Crimean coast. 3. A barge used as a ferry on the Don.

Kochmar, kochmora- a large sailing single-masted boat of Pomors, used for fishing or transport purposes.

Luger- a small three-masted warship of the first half of the 19th century. armed with 10-16 guns. Used for messenger service.

M

Score- floating warehouse.

Multihull- a vessel, ship or boat, consisting of more than one displacement hull. Two- and three-hull vessels have been studied and are being used. Double-hulled ships include a catamaran (see), duplus (see), trisec (see), proa (see). Three-hulled ships or ships include a ship with outriggers (see), trimaran (see), tricor (see). All types of multihull ships are distinguished by an increased deck area (and internal volume of structures), a simple provision of lateral stability, to some extent better seaworthiness, increased unsinkability and navigation safety. Multihull ships are most effective for carrying passengers in saloons or cabins, wheeled vehicles, light containers, for accommodating scientific laboratories and combat posts of surface ships. Double-hulled ships are widely used, the use of ships and ships with outriggers has begun. A four-hull vessel with a small waterline area was built, five-hull ships and vessels were proposed.

Monitor- Armored tower ship of coastal defense with a small draft. Displacement of monitors: marine - up to 8000 tons, river - up to 1900 tons. Armament: 2-3 large-caliber guns (up to 381 mm). Received a model name for the name of the first ship of this class "Monitor", built in the USA in 1861-62.

H

Nave- an old sailing ship, which, as it developed in the 16th century, became a large ship with direct sails and strong artillery weapons; prototype of sailing ships.

O

P

Steam frigate- a warship of the transitional period from a sailing to a steam fleet, which had sails and a steam engine as an engine.

packet boat- a two-masted sailing ship for carrying mail and carrying a messenger service. Displacement 200-400 tons, armament from 12 to 16 guns.

Pinasse- a three-masted ship of the XVII-XVIII centuries.

Pink- a sailing commercial vessel in Northern Europe with a capacity of about 200 tons. In the 18th century, kicks were used as military ships on the Baltic Sea.

Pontoon- flat-bottomed barge with high sides; used for intermediate supports of floating bridges. Scaffold bridges are convenient in that they can be taken to the sides at any time to free up part or the entire width of the river.

Pontoon(from lat. ponto- bridge on boats) - a floating structure for maintaining various devices on the water due to its own buoyancy reserve.

Pram- flat-bottomed artillery sailing vessel of the 18th century. Armament from 18 to 38 guns was used for actions in shallow water, along the coast and in rivers against fortresses and coastal fortifications.

Proa- a double-hull vessel, consisting of a larger central hull and a smaller additional one, also called an "outrigger".

R

refrigerated ship- a cargo ship of a special construction, equipped with refrigeration units for the transportation of perishable goods.

On the eve of the Navy Day, Defend Russia is trying to figure out how a corvette differs from a frigate, a large anti-submarine ship from a large landing ship, and a ship from a ship.

"We were on a boat!" - a little girl can scream, getting off, for example, from the Meteor air-wing ship, sailing on it from the Admiralteyskaya embankment of St. Petersburg to Peterhof. If by chance a real sea wolf in a vest, with a pipe, a wooden prosthesis instead of a leg and a parrot on his shoulder, screaming about piastres, passes nearby, then he will think that the girl with her parents has just got off, say, from the board of the Guards, which is the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet.

Because the ship can only belong to military sailors. And civilians have courts.

From the point of view of philology, the sailor will not be entirely right, because the ship is a generic concept that also denotes a species. Vessels are military and civilian. The military are called ships, the civilians are called ships. But, of course, no one will correct the sea wolf. On the contrary, he will roar on the topic: “They don’t swim, but they walk! Ships on the sea go!

No one remembers why ships sail on the sea, but if you still ask a sailor (whether civilian or military) this question, then with almost one hundred percent probability you will find out WHAT actually floats. “The fleece floats in the hole” (the word “fleece” is less poetic, but brutal Moremans replace it with a consonant one).

Ships sail for the same reason artists paint rather than paint pictures, accountants measure the year in quarters rather than quarters, gas workers build only gas pipelines instead of gas pipelines, and oil workers produce oil.

professional discourse. In general, we must remember that they walk both on the deck of the ship and on the sea on it. What will happen if a philologist asks a sailor “why then do you have sea captains, and not long-range captains?” Nobody knows. Such a risky experiment has not been carried out.

The ships have their own classification (taking into account the history of the development of the imperial / Soviet / Russian fleet and different traditions in our country and in the West, we can confidently say that there are several of them). The Russian Navy includes not only warships, but also support vessels.

Ships are classified primarily by ranks, which depend on displacement.

Within the ranks there is a classification, depending on the purpose. As, for example, with cars: cars can be policemen, or delivering pizza, or collecting mail, and trucks can carry bulk cargo, or liquid, or frozen.

A ship with a displacement of more than 5000 tons belongs to the ships of the first rank. Aircraft carriers have this displacement.

The Russian fleet currently has only one - - 61,000 tons.

Although, to be precise, "Kuznetsov" belongs to the class of heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers. Cruisers and some destroyers (destroyers), anti-submarine (BOD), training and landing (BDK) ships also have a displacement of more than 5000 tons. Within these classifications there are others. Cruisers can be: heavy nuclear (), missile ("Varyag"), heavy strategic nuclear submarines (submarines), strategic missile submarines (submarines). A ship of the first rank is commanded by a captain of the first rank (an analogue in the ground forces is a colonel). According to the charter, a ship of the first rank is equated to a regiment.

With an aircraft carrier, everything is more or less clear. Its task is to deliver air units to the theater of operations, simultaneously being able to defend itself.

The cruiser is its own fleet.

As a multi-purpose ship, armed primarily with cruise missiles, it can operate outside the main forces of the fleet, or maybe with them, performing tasks to guard a detachment of ships. A cruiser is a ship that bristled with weapons: rocket, mine-torpedo, artillery. In addition, the cruiser can carry helicopters. - the philological heritage of the empire. Torpedoes - self-propelled mines, according to Russian shipbuilders of the 19th century - were placed on ships operating as part of a squadron. This is how destroyers appeared. From the point of view of the Western maritime classification, a destroyer is a ship with a displacement of more than 6,000 tons, that is, a ship of the first rank in our classification, which is close to the BOD in its functionality, but less armed than a cruiser.

Destroyers are universal ships that operate both to support the landing and guarding, and against enemy forces.

They carry not only anti-aircraft artillery, missile, anti-submarine and mine-torpedo weapons, but can also be a platform for the Ka-27 helicopter (). Large anti-submarine ships (for example,) are close to cruisers because they are well armed. They are superior in displacement to large landing ships, the task of which is, first of all, to deliver troops to a point (for example, which is a ship of the second rank).

Ships of the second rank are pushed out of the water from 1500 to 5000 tons.

They are commanded by a captain of the second rank (land lieutenant colonel). These include patrol, missile, landing ships of the 2nd rank and some submarines (projects or). Patrol ships are also called corvettes (for example, the lead corvette "Guarding" the latest Russian). There is a clear confusion with frigates, since their displacement of up to 5000 tons makes them classify as ships of the second rank, in terms of functionality they can be considered patrol ships, but the “frigate” class did not exist in the Soviet fleet.

Ships of the third rank - this will not be a surprise - are commanded by a captain of the third rank (on land - a major). Their displacement is from 500 to 1500 tons.

Missile, artillery, landing and anti-submarine ships of the 3rd rank, plus minesweepers of the 3rd rank.

Minesweepers are special ships whose task is not to attack the enemy (attack ships) or guard the ship group and land facilities (guards), but to search for and destroy mines and obstacles. Unlike ships of the first / second rank (large landing and large anti-submarine) ships of the third rank are small: artillery (MAK "Astrakhan", also called a corvette), missile (MRK "Shtil"), anti-submarine ships (MPK "Muromets") and small landing on an air cushion (MDKVP "Mordovia").

The ship of the fourth rank is under the command of a lieutenant commander, senior lieutenant, lieutenant.

Here, for the first time, the word “ship” disappears, which is replaced by a “boat”: landing, artillery, missile, anti-sabotage, as well as minesweepers of the 4th rank.

Displacement - from 100 to 500 tons.

Alexey Tokarev

The 17th century was a rich period in the history of shipbuilding. Ships have become faster, more maneuverable, more stable. Engineers have learned to design the best examples of sailing ships. The development of artillery made it possible to equip battleships with reliable, accurate guns. The need for military action determined the progress in shipbuilding.

The most powerful ship at the beginning of the century

At the beginning of the 17th century, the era of battleships dawned. The first three-deck was the British HMS "Prince Royal", which was released from the Woolwich shipyard in 1610. The British shipbuilders took the prototype from the Danish flagship, and subsequently repeatedly rebuilt and improved it.

4 masts were hoisted on the ship, two each for straight and latin sails. Three-decker, originally 55-gun, the ship in the final version of 1641 became 70-gun, then changed the name to Resolution, returned the name, and in 1663 already had 93 guns in her equipment.

• Displacement about 1200 tons;
• Length (keel) 115 feet;
• Width (midships) 43 feet;
• Trench depth 18 feet;
• 3 full-fledged artillery decks.

As a result of battles with the Dutch, the ship was captured by the enemy in 1666, and when they tried to recapture it, it was burned and flooded.

The most powerful ship at the end of the century

The French "Soleil Royal" was built by shipbuilders of the Brest shipyard 3 times. The first 1669 three-masted with 104 guns, created as an equal opponent to the British Royal Sovereign, died in 1692. And in the same year, a new battleship was already built with an armament of 112 guns and had:

• Guns 28 x36-lb., 30 x18-lb. (middle deck), 28 x12-lb. (on the front deck);
• Displacement 2200 tons;
• 55 meters long (along the keel);
• Width 15 m (along the midship frame);
• Draft (intryum) 7 m;
• A team of 830 people.

The third was built after the death of the previous one, as a worthy heir to the glorious traditions associated with this name.

New types of ships of the 17th century

The evolution of past centuries has shifted the focus of shipbuilding from the need to simply safely navigate the seas, from merchant ships of the Venetians, Hanseatic, Flemings and, traditionally, the Portuguese and Spaniards to overcome significant distances, to asserting the importance of dominance at sea and, as a result, defending their interests through military actions.

Initially, they began to militarize merchant ships to counteract pirates, and by the 17th century, only warships were finally formed, and the merchant and navy were separated.

In the construction of the navy, shipbuilders and, of course, the Dutch provinces, succeeded. From the Portuguese shipbuilders, the gallion originates - the basis of the power of the squadrons of Spain and England.

17th century galleon

The shipbuilders of Portugal and Spain, who until recently played a significant role, continued to improve traditional ship designs.

In Portugal, at the beginning of the century, 2 types of ships appeared with new hull proportions in the ratio of length to width - 4 to 1. This is a 3-masted pinas (looks like flutes) and a military galleon.

On galleons, guns began to be installed above and below the main deck, highlighting battery decks in the ship’s structure, cell ports for guns were opened on board only for combat, and were battened down to avoid flooding with waves of water, which, with a solid mass of the ship, would inevitably flood it; warheads were hidden in the holds below the waterline. The displacement of the Spanish largest galleons of the early 17th century was about 1000 tons.

The Dutch galleon had three or four masts, up to 120 feet long, up to 30 feet wide, and 12 feet low. draft and up to 30 guns. Ships with such a proportion of long hulls were added speed by the number and area of ​​​​sails, additionally foxes and underliesels. This made it possible to cut the wave steeper towards the wind in comparison to rounded hulls.

Linear multi-deck sailing ships formed the backbone of the squadrons of Holland, Britain, and Spain. Three-, four-deck ships were the flagships of the squadrons and determined the military superiority and advantage in battle.

And if battleships constituted the main combat power, then frigates began to be built as the fastest ships, equipping one closed firing battery with a small number of guns. To increase speed, the sail area was increased and the curb weight was reduced.

The English ship "Sovereign of the Seas" became the first classic example of a battleship. Built in 1637, armed with 100 guns.

Another classic example was the British frigate - scout and escort of merchant ships.

Actually, these 2 types of ships became an innovative line in shipbuilding and gradually replaced the European galleons, galliots, flutes, pinnaces, which were obsolete by the middle of the century, from the shipyards.

New technologies of the navy

The Dutch for a long time retained the dual purpose of the ship during the construction, shipbuilding for trade was their priority. Therefore, with respect to warships, they were clearly inferior to England. In the middle of the century, the Netherlands built the 53-gun ship "Brederode" like "Sovereign of the Seas", their flagship of the fleet. Design options:

• Displacement 1520 tons;
• Proportions (132 x 32) ft.;
• Draft - 13 feet;
• Two artillery decks.

Flute "Schwarzer Rabe"

As early as the end of the 16th century, the Netherlands began to build flutes. Due to the new design, the Dutch flute had excellent seaworthiness and had:

• Small draft;
• High-speed sailing equipment that allowed a steep fence to the wind;
• high speed;
• Large capacity;
• New design with a length-to-width ratio ranging from four-to-one;
• Was cost effective;
• And a crew of about 60 people.

That is, in fact, a military transport ship to transport goods, and on the high seas to repel an enemy attack, and quickly go into the lead.

Flutes at the beginning of the 17th century were built by:

• About 40 meters long;
• About 6 or 7 m wide;
• Draft 3÷4 m;
• Load capacity 350÷400 tons;
• And gun equipment of 10 ÷ 20 guns.

For a century, flutes dominated all seas, played a prominent role in wars. For the first time they began to use the steering wheel.

From the sailing running equipment, topmasts appeared on them, the yards were made shortened, the length of the mast became longer than the vessel, and the sails became narrower, more convenient to manage, small in size. Sails mainsail, foresail, topsails, bramsails on mainsail, foremasts. On the bowsprit - a rectangular blind sail, bom blind. On the mizzen mast - a slanting sail and a straight cruysel. To manage the sailing equipment, a smaller number of the upper crew was required.

17th century warship designs

The gradual modernization of artillery pieces began to allow their successful use on board the ship. Important characteristics in the new battle tactics are:

• Convenient, fast reloading during the battle;
• Conducting continuous fire with intervals for reloading;
• Conducting aimed fire at long distances;
• An increase in the number of crew, which allowed firing under boarding conditions.

Since the 16th century, the tactics of dividing the combat mission as part of a squadron continued to develop: some of the ships retreated to the flanks to conduct long-range artillery fire on the accumulation of large enemy ships, and the light avant-garde rushed to board the affected ships.

British naval forces used this tactic during the Anglo-Spanish War.

Wake column during the review 1849

There is a classification of ships according to the purpose of their use. Rowing galleys are being replaced by sailing cannon ships, and the focus is shifting from boarding to devastating cannon fire.

The use of heavy large-caliber was difficult. The increased number of artillery crew, the significant weight of the gun and charges, the recoil force that was destructive for the ship, which made it impossible to launch volleys at the same time. The emphasis was on 32-42-pound guns with a barrel diameter of no more than 17 cm. For this reason, several medium-sized guns were preferable to a pair of large ones.

The most difficult thing is the accuracy of the shot in conditions of pitching and inertia of recoil from neighboring guns. Therefore, the artillery crew needed a clear sequence of volleys with minimal intervals, the training of the entire crew of the team.

Strength and maneuverability have become very important: it is necessary to keep the enemy strictly on board, not allow entry to the rear, and be able to quickly turn the ship to the other side in case of serious damage. The length of the ship's keel was no more than 80 meters, and in order to accommodate more guns, they began to build upper decks, a battery of guns was placed along the board on each deck.

The coherence and skill of the ship's crew were determined by the speed of maneuvers. The speed with which the ship, having fired a volley from one side, managed to turn its narrow bow under the oncoming volley of the enemy, and then turning the opposite side to fire a new volley, was considered the highest manifestation of skill. Such maneuvers made it possible to receive less damage and inflict significant and quick damage to the enemy.

Worth mentioning are the numerous military rowboats used throughout the 17th century. The proportions were approximately 40 by 5 meters. Displacement about 200 tons, draft 1.5 meters. A mast and a Latin sail were installed on the galleys. For a typical galley with a crew of 200, 140 rowers were placed in threes on 25 banks on each side, each at his own oar. The oar bulwarks were protected from bullets and crossbows. Guns were installed at the stern and bow. The goal of the galley attack is a boarding battle. Cannons and throwing guns launched an attack, boarding began when they approached. It is clear that such attacks were designed for heavily loaded merchant ships.

The strongest army at sea in the 17th century

If at the beginning of the century the fleet of the winner of the Great Spanish Armada was considered the strongest, then in the future the combat capability of the British fleet fell catastrophically. And the failures in the battles with the Spaniards and the shameful capture of 27 English ships by Moroccan pirates finally dropped the prestige of British power.

At this time, the Dutch fleet takes the lead. That is why the rapidly growing rich neighbor feat Britain to build up its fleet in a new way. By the middle of the century, the flotilla consisted of up to 40 warships, of which six were 100-gun ships. And after the Revolution, the combat power at sea increased until the Restoration. After a period of calm, towards the end of the century, Britain again positioned its power at sea.

From the beginning of the 17th century, the flotillas of European countries began to be equipped with battleships, the number of which determined the combat strength. The 55-gun ship HMS "Prince Royal" of 1610 is considered to be the first linear 3-deck ship. The next 3-deck HMS "Sovereign of the Seas" acquired the parameters of a serial prototype:

• Proportions 127x46 feet;
• Draft - 20 feet;
• Displacement 1520 tons;
• The total number of guns is 126 on 3 artillery decks.

Placement of guns: 30 on the lower deck, 30 on the middle, 26 with a smaller caliber on the upper, 14 under the forecastle, 12 under the poop. In addition, there are many loopholes in the add-ons for the guns of the crew remaining on board.

After three wars between England and Holland, they united in an alliance against France. The Anglo-Dutch alliance was able to destroy by 1697 1300 French ship units. And at the beginning of the next century, led by Britain, the union achieved an advantage. And the blackmail of the naval power of England, which became Great Britain, began to determine the outcome of the battles.

Naval tactics

Previous naval warfare was characterized by disordered tactics, skirmishes between ship captains, and lack of patterns and unified command.

From 1618, the British Admiralty introduced a ranking of its warships.

• Ships Royal, 40…55 guns.
• Great Royals, about 40 guns.
• Middle Ships. 30…40 guns.
• Small Ships, including frigates, less than 30 guns.

The British developed the tactics of line combat. According to its rules,

1. Peer-to-peer line-up with wake columns;
2. Building an equivalent and equal-velocity column without breaks;
3. Unified command.

What should ensure success in battle.

The tactics of an equal-rank formation excluded the presence of weak links in the column, the flagships led the vanguard, center, command and closed the rear guard. The unified command was subordinate to the admiral, a clear system for transmitting commands and signals between ships appeared.

Naval battles and wars

Battle of Dover 1659

The first battle of the fleets a month before the start of the 1st Anglo-Dutch War, which formally gave it a start. Tromp, with a squadron of 40 ships, went to escort and protect Dutch transport ships from English corsairs. Being in English waters close to the squadron of 12 ships under the command. Admiral Burn, the Dutch flagships did not want to salute the English flag. When Blake approached with a squadron of 15 ships, the British attacked the Dutch. Tromp covered the caravan of merchant ships, did not dare to get involved in a long battle, and lost the battlefield.

Battle of Plymouth 1652

It took place in the First Anglo-Dutch War. de Ruyter took command of a squadron from Zeeland of 31 military units. ship and 6 firewalls in the protection of the trade caravan convoy. He was opposed by 38 soldiers. ships and 5 fireships of the British forces.

The Dutch at the meeting divided the squadron, part of the English ships began to pursue them, breaking the formation and losing the advantage of firepower. The Dutch, with their favorite tactic of shooting at masts and rigging, disabled part of the enemy ships. As a result, the British had to retreat and go to the ports for repairs, and the caravan safely left for Calais.

Newport battles of 1652 and 1653

If in the battle of 1652, Ruyter and de Witt, having united 2 squadrons of 64 ships into a single squadron - the vanguard of Ruyter and the center of de Witt - a squadron, gave an equal battle to 68 Black ships. Then in 1653 Tromp's squadron, which had 98 ships and 6 fireships against 100 ships and 5 fireships of the English admirals Monk and Dean, was pretty destroyed when trying to attack the main British forces. Ruyter, the vanguard rushing down the wind, fell upon the English. the vanguard of Admiral Lawson, he was energetically supported by Tromp; but Admiral Dean managed to come to the rescue. And then the wind subsided, an artillery skirmish began until dark, when the Dutch, having discovered a lack of shells, were forced to leave for their ports as soon as possible. The battle showed the advantage of equipment and weapons of the English ships.

Battle of Portland 1653

Battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. Convoy under commands. Admiral M. Tromp of 80 ships was accompanied in the English Channel by a returning caravan loaded with colonial goods of 250 merchant ships. Meeting with a fleet of 70 British ships under command. Admiral R. Blake, Tromp was forced into battle.

For two days of fighting, a change in the wind did not allow groups of ships to line up; the Dutch, shackled by the defense of transport ships, suffered losses. And yet, at night, the Dutch were able to break through and leave, eventually losing 9 military and 40 merchant ships, and the British 4 ships.

Battle of Texel 1673

De Ruyter's victory with Admirals Bankert and Tromp over the Anglo-French fleet at Texel in the Third Anglo-Dutch War. This period is marked by the occupation of the Netherlands by French troops. The goal was to recapture the trade caravan. 92 Allied ships and 30 fireships were opposed by a Dutch fleet of 75 ships and 30 fireships.

Ruyter's vanguard managed to separate the French vanguard from the British squadron. The maneuver was a success and, due to the disunity of the allies, the French preferred to keep the flotilla, and the Dutch managed to crush the center of the British in many hours of fierce battle. And in the end, having ousted the French, Bankert came to reinforce the center of the Dutch. The British were never able to land troops and suffered heavy losses in manpower.

These wars of the advanced maritime powers determined the importance of tactics, formations and firepower in the development of the navy and the art of battle. Based on the experience of these wars, classes of division into ship ranks were developed, the optimal equipment for a sailing ship of the line and the number of weapons were tested. The tactics of single combat of enemy ships was transformed into a combat formation of a wake column with well-coordinated artillery fire, with rapid rebuilding and a unified command. Boarding action was a thing of the past, and strength at sea influenced success on land.

17th century Spanish fleet

Spain continued to form its armadas with large galleons, the unsinkability and strength of which were proven by the results of the battles of the Invincible Armada with the British. The British artillery was unable to inflict damage on the Spaniards.

Therefore, Spanish shipbuilders continued to build galleons with an average displacement of 500 ÷ 1000 tons and a draft of 9 feet, creating precisely an ocean-going ship - stable and reliable. Three or four masts and about 30 guns were put on such ships.

In the first third of the century, 18 galleons were launched into the water with the number of guns up to 66. The number of large ships exceeded 60 against 20 large royal ships of England and 52 of France.

The features of durable, heavy ships are high resistance to staying in the ocean and fighting against water elements. The installation of direct sails in two tiers did not provide maneuverability and ease of control. At the same time, low maneuverability was compensated by excellent good survivability during storms in terms of strength parameters, and the versatility of galleons. They were used simultaneously for both trade and military operations, which was often combined with an unexpected meeting with the enemy in the vast waters of the ocean.

Extraordinary capacity made it possible to equip ships with a decent number of weapons and take on board a large team trained for battles. That made it possible to successfully carry out boarding - the main naval tactics of battles and the capture of ships in the arsenal of the Spaniards.

Navy of France in the 17th century

In France, the first battleship "Crown" was launched in 1636. Then began the rivalry with England and Holland at sea.

Ship characteristics of the three-masted double-deck "" 1st rank:

• Displacement more than 2100 tons;
• Length along the upper deck 54 meters, along the waterline 50 m, along the keel 39 m;
• Width 14 m;
• 3 masts;
• Main mast 60 meters high;
• Boards up to 10 m high;
• The sail area is about 1000 m²;
• 600 sailors;
• 3 decks;
• 72 different-caliber guns (14x 36-pounders);
• Oak body.

It took about 2,000 dried trunks to build. The shape of the barrel was matched to the shape of the part of the ship in accordance with the bends of the fibers and the part, which gave special strength.

The ship is known for eclipsing the Lord of the Seas, the British masterpiece Sovereign of the Seas (1634), and is now considered the most luxurious and beautiful ship of the sailing era.

Navy of the United Provinces of the Netherlands 17th century

The Netherlands in the 17th century waged endless wars with neighboring countries for independence. The naval confrontation between the Netherlands and Britain had the character of internecine rivalry between neighbors. On the one hand, they hurried to control the seas and oceans with the help of the fleet, on the other hand, to squeeze Spain and Portugal, while successfully carrying out robbery attacks on their ships, but on the third, they wanted to dominate as the two most militant rivals. At the same time, dependence on corporations - the owners of ships that financed shipbuilding, overshadowed the importance of victories in naval battles, which stopped the growth of navigation in the Netherlands.

The formation of the power of the Dutch fleet was facilitated by the liberation struggle with Spain, the weakening of its strength, the numerous victories of the Dutch ships over the Spaniards during the Thirty Years' War to its end in 1648.

The fleet of the Netherlands was the largest, numbering 20 thousand merchant ships, a huge number of shipyards worked. Actually this century was the Golden Age of the Netherlands. The struggle of the Netherlands for independence from the Spanish Empire led to the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648). After the completion of the war of liberation of the Seventeen Provinces from the Spanish monarchy, there were three Anglo-Dull wars, a successful invasion of England, and wars with France.

3 Anglo-Dutch wars at sea tried to determine the dominant position at sea. By the beginning of the first, the Dutch fleet had 75 warships along with frigates. The available warships of the United Provinces were scattered around the world. In case of war, warships could be chartered, or simply hired from other European states. The designs of the "Pinas" and "Flemish Carracks" in case of war were easily upgraded from a merchant into a military vessel. However, apart from Brederode and Grote Vergulde Fortuijn, the Dutch could not boast of their own warships. They won battles through courage and skill.

By the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1665 van Wassenaar's squadron was able to collect 107 ships, 9 frigates and 27 lower ships. Of these, 92 are armed with more than 30 guns. The number of crews is 21 thousand sailors, 4800 guns.

England could oppose 88 ships, 12 frigates and 24 lower ships. A total of 4500 guns, 22 thousand sailors.

In the most disastrous Battle of Lowestoft in the history of Holland, the Flemish flagship, the 76-gun Eendragt, was blown up along with van Wassenaar.

Navy of 17th century Britain

In the middle of the century, there were no more than 5 thousand merchant ships in Britain. But the navy was significant. By 1651, the royal Royal Navy squadron already had 21 battleships and 29 frigates, 2 battleships and 50 frigates were being completed on the way. If we add the number of free-hired and chartered ships, the fleet could be up to 200 ships. The total number of guns and caliber were out of competition.

The construction was carried out at the royal shipyards of Britain - Woolwich, Davenport, Chatham, Portsmouth, Deptford. A significant part of the ships came from private shipyards in Bristol, Liverpool, etc. Over the course of a century, growth steadily increased with the predominance of the regular fleet over the chartered one.

In England, the most powerful ships of the line were called Manowar, as the largest, with more than a hundred guns.

To increase the multi-purpose composition of the British fleet in the middle of the century, more smaller types of warships were created: corvettes, bombards.

During the construction of frigates, the number of guns on two decks increased to 60.

In the first battle of Dover with the Netherlands, the British fleet had:

60 push. James, 56- push. Andrew, 62- push. Triumph, 56- push. Andrew, 62- push. Triumph, 52- push. Victory, 52- push. Speaker, five 36s including President, three 44s including Garland, 52s. Fairfax and others.

To which the Dutch fleet could counter:

54- push. Brederode, 35 push. Grote Vergulde Fortuijn, nine 34 guns, the rest in lower ranks.

Therefore, the reluctance of the Netherlands to engage in open water combat according to the rules of linear tactics becomes obvious.

Russian fleet of the 17th century

As such, the Russian fleet did not exist before Peter I, due to the lack of access to the seas. The very first Russian warship was the two-deck, three-masted Eagle, built by 1669 on the Oka. But it was built at the Voronezh shipyards in 1695 - 1696 from 23 rowing galleys, 2 sailing-rowing frigates and more than 1000 shnyavs, baroques, plows.

Ship "Eagle" 1667

The parameters of the 36-gun frigates "Apostol Peter" and "Apostle Paul" are similar:

• Length 34 meters;
• Width 7.6 m;
• 15 pairs of oars for maneuverability;
• Flat-bottomed hull;
• Anti-boarding boards at the top are bent inward.

Russian masters and Peter himself in 1697. The frigate "Peter and Pavel" was built in Holland.

The first ship to enter the Black Sea was the Fortress. From the shipyard at the mouth of the Don in 1699:

• Length - 38 meters;
• Width - 7.5 m;
• Crew - 106 sailors;
• 46 guns.

In 1700, the first Russian battleship "God's Predestination", destined for the Azov Flotilla, left the shipyard of Voronezh, moreover, rebuilt by Russian craftsmen and engineers. This three-masted ship, equal to rank IV, had:

• Length 36 meters;
• Width 9 m;
• 58 guns (26x 16-pounders, 24x 8-pounders, 8x 3-pounders);
• A team of 250 sailors.

In the meantime, let's quickly and briefly "run" to the 15th century, and there we will already reveal the issue in more detail. So let's start:

The first sailing ships appeared in Egypt around 3000 BC. e. This is evidenced by the paintings decorating ancient Egyptian vases. However, the home of the boats depicted on the vases is apparently not the Nile Valley, but the nearby Persian Gulf. Confirmation of this is a model of a similar boat found in the Obeid tomb, in the city of Eridu, which stood on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

In 1969, the Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl made an interesting attempt to test the assumption that a ship equipped with a sail, made of papyrus reed, could sail not only on the Nile, but also on the high seas. This vessel, essentially a raft, 15 m long, 5 m wide and 1.5 m high, with a 10 m mast and a single straight sail, was steered by a steering oar.

Before the use of the wind, floating craft either moved by oars or were pulled by people or animals walking along the banks of rivers and canals. Vessels made it possible to transport heavy and bulky goods, which was much more productive than transporting animals by teams on land. Bulk goods were also transported mainly by water.

papyrus ship

A large naval expedition of the ruler of Egypt Hatshepsut, undertaken in the first half of the 15th century, is historically attested. BC e. This expedition, which historians believe is also a trade, proceeded through the Red Sea to the ancient country of Punt on the east coast of Africa (this is roughly modern Somalia). The ships returned heavily laden with various goods and slaves.

In close navigation, the Phoenicians used mainly light merchant ships that had oars and a straight rake sail. Vessels intended for long-distance navigation and warships looked much more impressive. Phoenicia, unlike Egypt, had very favorable natural conditions for building a fleet: near the coast, on the slopes of the Lebanese mountains, forests grew, dominated by the famous Lebanese cedar and oak, as well as other valuable tree species.

In addition to improving sea vessels, the Phoenicians left another remarkable legacy - the word "galley", which probably entered all European languages. Phoenician ships set sail from the large port cities of Sidon, Ugarit, Arvada, Gebala, etc., where there were also large shipyards.

Historical materials also speak of the voyage of the Phoenicians in a southerly direction across the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. The Phoenicians are credited with the honor of the first voyage around Africa at the end of the 7th century. BC e., that is, almost 2000 years before Vasco da Gama.

The Greeks already in the IX century. BC e. they learned from the Phoenicians to build ships that were remarkable for that time and early began the colonization of the surrounding territories. In the VIII-VI centuries. BC e. the area of ​​​​their penetration covered the western shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the entire Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and the Aegean coast of Asia Minor.

Not a single wooden antique ship or part of it has survived, and this does not allow us to clarify the idea of ​​​​the main types of galleys, which has developed on the basis of written and other historical materials. Divers and scuba divers continue to explore the seabed at the sites of ancient naval battles in which hundreds of ships were lost. Their shape and internal structure can be judged by indirect signs - for example, by accurate sketches of the location of clay vessels and metal objects that have been preserved where the ship lay. And yet, in the absence of wooden parts of the hull, painstaking analysis and imagination cannot be dispensed with.

The vessel was kept on course by means of a steering oar, which had at least two advantages over the later rudder: it made it possible to turn a stationary vessel and to easily replace a damaged or broken steering oar. Merchant ships were wide and had ample hold space to accommodate cargo.

The ship was a Greek war galley circa 5th century BC. BC e., the so-called birema. With rows of oars arranged in two tiers along the sides, she naturally had greater speed than a ship of the same size with half the number of oars. In the same century, triremes became widespread - warships with three "floors" of rowers. A similar arrangement of galleys is the contribution of ancient Greek masters to the design of sea vessels. Military kinkerems were not "long ships", they had a deck, internal quarters for soldiers and a particularly powerful ram, bound with copper sheets, located in front at the water level, which broke through the sides of enemy ships during naval battles. The Greeks adopted a similar combat device from the Phoenicians, who used it in the 8th century. BC e.

Although the Greeks were able, well-trained sailors, sea travel was a dangerous business at that time. Not every ship reached its destination as a result of either a shipwreck or a pirate attack.
The galleys of ancient Greece plowed almost the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas, there is evidence of their penetration through Gibraltar to the north. Here they reached Britain, and possibly Scandinavia. Their voyages are shown on the map.

At the first big clash with Carthage (in the First Punic War), the Romans realized that they could not hope for victory without having a strong navy. With the help of Greek specialists, in a short time they built 120 large galleys and transferred to the sea their method of warfare, which they used on land - an individual battle of a warrior against a warrior with personal weapons. The Romans used the so-called "crows" - boarding bridges. On these bridges, which pierced the deck of the enemy ship with a sharp hook, depriving him of the possibility of maneuvering, the Roman legionnaires broke into the enemy deck and started the battle in their usual manner.

The Roman fleet, like the contemporary Greek fleet, consisted of two main types of ships: "round" merchant and slender battle galleys.

Certain improvements can be noted in the sailing armament. On the main mast (mainmast) a large square straight sail is retained, which is sometimes supplemented by two small triangular upper sails. A smaller quadrangular sail appears on the forward inclined mast - the bowsprit. Increasing the total area of ​​the sails increased the force used to propel the ship. However, the sails continue to be an additional mover, the oars, not shown in the figure, remain the main one.
The value of the sail, however, undoubtedly increased, especially on long voyages, which were made as far as India. At the same time, the discovery of the Greek navigator Gippal helped: the August southwest and January northeast monsoons contributed to the maximum use of sails and at the same time reliably indicated the direction, like a compass much later. The road from Italy to India and the return journey, with an intermediate crossing by caravans and ships along the Nile from Alexandria to the Red Sea, lasted about a year. Previously, the path by oars along the shores of the Arabian Sea was much longer.

During trading voyages, the Romans used numerous Mediterranean ports. Some of them have already been mentioned, but one of the first places should be given to Alexandria, located in the Nile Delta, whose importance as a transit point increased as Rome’s trade with India and the Far East grew.

For more than half a millennium, the knights of the high seas, the Vikings, kept Europe in fear. They owe their mobility and omnipresence to dracars - true masterpieces of shipbuilding art.

On these ships, the Vikings made distant sea voyages. They discovered Iceland, the southern coast of Greenland, long before Columbus they visited North America. The snake heads of the stems of their ships were seen by the inhabitants of the Baltic, the Mediterranean and Byzantium. Together with the squads of the Slavs, they settled in the great trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks.

The main mover of the drakar was a raked sail, with an area of ​​70 m2 or more, sewn from separate vertical panels, richly decorated with gold braid, drawings of the coats of arms of the leaders or various signs and symbols. Ray rose with the sail. The high mast was supported by the stays going from it to the sides and to the ends of the vessel. The sides were protected by richly painted shields of warriors. The silhouette of the Scandinavian ship is one of a kind. It has many aesthetic merits. The basis for the reconstruction of this ship was the drawing of the famous carpet from Bae, which tells about the landing in 1066 of William the Conqueror in England.

At the beginning of the 15th century, they began to build two-masted coggs. The further development of world shipbuilding was marked by the transition in the middle of the 15th century to three-masted ships. For the first time this type of vessel appeared in the north of Europe in 1475. Its fore and mizzen masts are borrowed from Mediterranean Venetian ships.

The first three-masted ship to enter the Baltic Sea was the French ship La Rochelle. The skin of this ship, which had a length of 43 m and a width of 12 m, was not laid flat, like tiles on the roof of a house, as was done before, but smooth: one board close to the other. And although this method of sheathing was known before, nevertheless, the merit of his invention is attributed to a shipbuilder from Brittany named Julian, who called this method "carvel" or "craveel". The name of the plating later passed into the name of the type of ships - "caravel". Caravels were more elegant than coggs and had better sailing weapons, so it was no coincidence that medieval discoverers chose these durable, fast and roomy ships for overseas campaigns. Characteristic features of caravels are high sides, deep sheer deck in the middle part of the vessel and mixed sailing equipment. Only the foremast carried a square straight sail. Latin sails on the slanting yards of the main and mizzen masts allowed ships to sail steeply into the wind.

In the first half of the 15th century, the largest cargo ship (perhaps up to 2000 tons) was a three-masted, two-deck karakka, probably of Portuguese origin. In the 15th-16th centuries, composite masts appeared on sailing ships, which carried several sails at once. The area of ​​the topsails and kruysels (top sails) was increased, which made it easier to control and maneuver the vessel. The ratio of body length to width ranged from 2:1 to 2.5:1. As a result, the seaworthiness of these so-called "round" ships improved, which made it possible to make safer long-distance voyages to America and India and even around the world. A clear distinction between sailing merchant and military ships did not exist at that time; for a number of centuries, only a rowing galley was a typical warship. The galleys were built with one and two masts and carried Latin sails.

"Vasa" Swedish warship

At the beginning of the XVII century. Sweden has significantly strengthened its position in Europe. The founder of the new royal dynasty, Gustav I Vasa, did a lot to bring the country out of medieval backwardness. He delivered Sweden from Danish rule, carried out a reformation, subordinating the previously all-powerful church to the state.
The Thirty Years' War of 1618-1648 was underway. Sweden, which claimed to be one of the dominant countries in Europe, sought to finally consolidate its dominant position in the Baltic.

The main rival of Sweden in the western part of the Baltic Sea was Denmark, which owned both banks of the Sound and the most important islands of the Baltic Sea. But it was a very strong opponent. Then the Swedes focused all their attention on the eastern shores of the sea and, after long wars, captured the cities of Yam, Koporye, Karela, Oreshek and Ivan-Gorod, which had long belonged to Russia, thus depriving the Russian state of access to the Baltic Sea.
However, Gustav II Adolf, the new king of the Vasa dynasty (1611-1632), wanted to achieve complete domination of Sweden in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea and began to create a strong navy.

In 1625, the Stockholm Royal Shipyard received a large order for the simultaneous construction of four large ships. The king showed the greatest interest in the construction of a new flagship. This ship was named "Vasa" - in honor of the Swedish royal Vasa dynasty, to which Gustav II Adolf belonged.

The best ship craftsmen, artists, sculptors, and wood carvers were involved in the construction of Vasa. Hendrik Hibertson, a well-known shipbuilder in Europe, was invited as the chief builder. Two years later, the ship was safely launched and towed to the outfitting pier, located just under the windows of the royal palace.

Galion "Golden Hind" ("Golden Doe")

The ship was built in the 60s of the 16th century in England and was originally called "Pelican". On it, the English navigator Francis Drake in 1577-1580, as part of a squadron of five ships, undertook a pirate expedition to the West Indies and made the second circumnavigation of the world after Magellan. In honor of the excellent seaworthiness of his ship, Drake renamed it the "Golden Hind" and installed a figurine of a doe made of pure gold in the bow of the ship. The length of the galleon is 18.3 m, the width is 5.8 m, the draft is 2.45 m. This is one of the smallest galleons.

Significantly larger ships than galleys were galleasses: they had three masts with Latin sails, two large steering oars in the stern, two decks (lower for rowers, upper for soldiers and cannons), and a surface ram in the bow. These warships proved to be durable: as late as the 18th century, almost all maritime powers continued to replenish their fleets with galleys and galleasses. During the 16th century, the appearance of a sailing ship was formed as a whole, which was preserved until the middle of the 19th century. Ships increased significantly in size, if for the 15th century ships of more than 200 tons were rare, then by the end of the 16th century there were single giants reaching 2000 tons, and ships with a displacement of 700-800 tons were no longer rare. From the beginning of the 16th century, European shipbuilding increasingly began to use oblique sails, at first in its pure form, as was done in Asia, but by the end of the century mixed sailing rigs spread. Artillery improved - bombards of the 15th and culverins of the early 16th centuries were still not very suitable for arming ships, but by the end of the 16th century the problems associated with casting were largely resolved and a familiar-looking naval gun appeared. Around 1500, cannon ports were invented, it became possible to place cannons in several tiers, and the upper deck was freed from them, which had a positive effect on the ship's stability. The sides of the ship began to fill up inward - so the guns of the upper tiers were closer to the axis of symmetry of the ship. Finally, in the 16th century, regular navies appeared in many European countries. All these innovations gravitate towards the beginning of the 16th century, but, given the time required for implementation, spread only towards its end. Again, shipbuilders also needed to gain experience, because at first the ships of a new type had an annoying habit of capsizing immediately when leaving the stocks.

During the 16th century, the appearance of a sailing ship was formed as a whole, which was preserved until the middle of the 19th century. Ships increased significantly in size, if for the 15th century ships of more than 200 tons were rare, then by the end of the 16th century there were single giants reaching 2000 tons, and ships with a displacement of 700-800 tons were no longer rare. From the beginning of the 16th century, European shipbuilding increasingly began to use oblique sails, at first in its pure form, as was done in Asia, but by the end of the century mixed sailing rigs spread. Artillery improved - bombards of the 15th and culverins of the early 16th centuries were still not very suitable for arming ships, but by the end of the 16th century the problems associated with casting were largely resolved and a familiar-looking naval gun appeared. Around 1500, cannon ports were invented, it became possible to place cannons in several tiers, and the upper deck was freed from them, which had a positive effect on the ship's stability. The sides of the ship began to fill up inward - so the guns of the upper tiers were closer to the axis of symmetry of the ship. Finally, in the 16th century, regular navies appeared in many European countries. All these innovations gravitate towards the beginning of the 16th century, but, given the time required for implementation, spread only towards its end. Again, shipbuilders also needed to gain experience, because at first the ships of a new type had an annoying habit of capsizing immediately when leaving the stocks.

In the first half of the 16th century, a ship appeared with fundamentally new properties and a completely different purpose than the ships that existed before. This ship was intended to fight for supremacy at sea by destroying enemy warships on the high seas with artillery fire and combined significant autonomy for those times with the strongest weapons. The rowing ships that existed up to this point could only dominate a narrow strait, and even then, if they were based in a port on the shore of this strait, in addition, their power was determined by the number of troops on board, and artillery ships could act independently of the infantry. A new type of ships began to be called linear - that is, the main ones (like "linear infantry", "linear tanks" the name "linear ship" has nothing to do with lining up - if they were built, then just in a column).

The first battleships that appeared on the northern seas, and later on the Mediterranean Sea, were small - 500-800 tons, which approximately corresponded to the displacement of large transports of that period. Not even the biggest ones. But the largest transports were built for themselves by wealthy merchant companies, and battleships were ordered by states that were not rich at that time. These ships were armed with 50-90 guns, but they were not very strong guns - mostly 12-pounders, with a small admixture of 24-pounders and a very large admixture of small-caliber guns and culverins. Seaworthiness did not stand up to any criticism - even in the 18th century, ships were still built without drawings (they were replaced by a layout), and the number of guns was calculated based on the width of the ship measured in steps - that is, it varied depending on the length of the legs of the chief engineer of the shipyard. But this was in the 18th, and in the 16th, the correlation between the width of the vessel and the weight of the guns was not known (especially since it does not exist). Simply put, ships were built without a theoretical basis, only on the basis of experience, which was almost non-existent in the 16th and early 17th centuries. But the main trend was clearly visible - guns in such a quantity could no longer be considered as auxiliary weapons, and a purely sail design indicated the desire to get an ocean-going ship. Even then, battleships were characterized by armament at the level of 1.5 pounds per ton of displacement.

The faster the ship was, the fewer guns it could have in relation to the displacement, since the more the engine weighed - the masts. Not only did the masts themselves with a mass of ropes and sails weigh a fair amount, they also shifted the center of gravity upwards, therefore they had to be balanced by laying more cast-iron ballast in the hold.

The battleships of the 16th century still had inadequate sailing equipment for sailing in the Mediterranean Sea (especially in its eastern part) and in the Baltic. The storm jokingly blew the Spanish squadron out of the English Channel.

Already in the 16th century, Spain, England and France together had about 60 ships of the line, with Spain more than half of this number. Sweden, Denmark, Turkey and Portugal joined this trio in the 17th century.

Ships of the 17th and 18th centuries

In the north of Europe at the beginning of the 17th century, a new type of vessel appeared, similar to flutes - a three-masted pinasse (pinasse). The same type of ships also includes the galleon that appeared in the middle of the 16th century - a military ship of Portuguese origin, which later became the basis of the fleets of the Spaniards and the British. For the first time, guns were installed on the galleon both above and below the main deck, which led to the construction of battery decks; guns stood on the sides and fired through the ports. The displacement of the largest Spanish galleons of 1580-1590 was 1000 tons, and the ratio of the length of the hull to the width was 4:1. The absence of high superstructures and a long hull allowed these ships to sail faster and steeper to the wind than "round" ships. To increase the speed, the number and area of ​​​​sails were increased, additional sails appeared - foxes and underliesels. At that time, jewelry was considered a symbol of wealth and power - all state and royal courts were luxuriously decorated. The distinction between warships and merchant ships became more distinct. In the middle of the 17th century, frigates began to be built in England, which had up to 60 guns on two decks, and smaller warships, such as a corvette, sloop, bombard, and others.

By the middle of the 17th century, battleships had grown significantly - some already up to 1500 tons. The number of guns remained the same - 50-80 pieces, but 12-pounder guns remained only on the bow, stern and upper deck, guns of 24 and 48 pounds were placed on other decks. Accordingly, the hull became stronger - it could withstand 24-pound shells. In general, the 17th century is characterized by a low level of opposition at sea. England, almost throughout its entire length, could not deal with internal turmoil. The Dutch preferred small ships, relying more on their numbers and the experience of the crews. France, powerful at that time, tried to impose its hegemony on Europe by wars on land - the French were of little interest to the sea. Sweden reigned supreme in the Baltic Sea and did not lay claim to other bodies of water. Spain and Portugal were ruined and often found themselves dependent on France. Venice and Genoa quickly turned into third-rate states. The Mediterranean Sea was divided - the western part went to Europe, the eastern - to Turkey. Neither side sought to upset the balance. However, the Maghreb ended up in the European sphere of influence - English, French and Dutch squadrons did away with piracy during the 17th century. The greatest maritime powers of the 17th century had 20-30 battleships each, the rest had only a few.

Turkey also began to build battleships from the end of the 16th century. But they still differed significantly from European models. Especially the shape of the hull and sailing weapons. Turkish battleships were significantly faster than European ones (this was especially true in the Mediterranean), carried 36-60 guns of 12-24 caliber pounds and were weaker armored - only from 12-pounder cores. Armament was a pound per ton. The displacement was 750 -1100 tons. In the 18th century, Turkey began to lag significantly behind in terms of technology. Turkish battleships of the 18th century resembled European ones of the 17th century.

During the 18th century, the growth in the size of ships of the line continued uninterrupted. By the end of this century, battleships had reached a displacement of 5,000 tons (the limit for wooden ships), armor had increased to an incredible degree - even 96-pound bombs did not harm them enough - and 12-pound half-guns were no longer used on them. Only 24 pounds for the upper deck, 48 pounds for the two middle decks, and 96 pounds for the bottom deck. The number of guns reached 130. True, there were also smaller battleships with 60-80 guns, with a displacement of about 2000 tons. They were more often limited to 48-pound caliber, and they were also protected from it.

Incredibly increased the number of battleships. England, France, Russia, Turkey, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Portugal had battle fleets. By the middle of the 18th century, England had almost undivided dominance at sea. By the end of the century, she had almost a hundred battleships (including those that were not in active use). France scored 60-70, but they were weaker than the English. Russia under Peter stamped 60 battleships, but they were made in a hurry, somehow, carelessly. In a rich way, only the preparation of wood - so that it would turn into armor - should have taken 30 years (in fact, Russian ships and later were built not from bog oak, but from larch, it was heavy, relatively soft, but did not rot and lasted 10 times longer than oak). But their number alone forced Sweden (and the whole of Europe) to recognize the Baltic Sea as Russian inland. By the end of the century, the size of the Russian battle fleet even decreased, but the ships were brought up to European standards. Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Portugal had 10-20 ships each, Spain - 30, Turkey - also about that, but these were already ships of a non-European level.

Even then, the property of battleships was manifested that they were created most of all for numbers - so that they were, and not for war. It was expensive to build and maintain them, and even more so to equip them with a crew, all kinds of supplies and send them on campaigns. They saved on this - they did not send it. So even England used only a small part of her battle fleet at a time. Equipment for a campaign of 20-30 battleships was also a national task for England. Russia kept only a few battleships on alert. Most of the battleships spent their entire lives in the port with only a minimal crew on board (capable, in case of urgent need, to overtake the ship to another port) and unloaded guns.

The ship next in rank to the battleship was the frigate, designed to capture the water space. With the incidental destruction of everything (except battleships) that was available in this space. Formally, the frigate was an auxiliary ship in the battle fleet, but, given that the latter was used extremely sluggishly, frigates turned out to be the most popular of the ships of that period. Frigates, like later cruisers, could be divided into light and heavy ones, although such a gradation was not formally carried out. The heavy frigate appeared in the 17th century, it was a ship with 32-40 cannons, counting the falconets, and displacing 600-900 tons of water. The guns were 12-24 pounds, with the latter predominating. The armor could withstand 12-pound cannonballs, the armament was 1.2-1.5 tons per pound, and the speed was greater than that of a battleship. The displacement of the latest modifications of the 18th century reached 1500 tons, there were up to 60 cannons, but usually there were no 48-pound ones.

Light frigates have been common since the 16th century, and in the 17th they made up the vast majority of all warships. Their production required a significantly lower quality wood than for the construction of heavy frigates. Larch and oak were considered strategic resources, and pines suitable for making masts in Europe and the European part of Russia were counted and taken into account. Light frigates did not carry armor, in the sense that their hulls withstood wave impacts and mechanical loads, but they did not claim more, the skin thickness was 5-7 centimeters. The number of guns did not exceed 30, and only on the largest frigates of this class on the lower deck were 4 24 pounds - they did not even occupy the entire floor. The displacement was 350-500 tons.

In the 17th and early 18th centuries, light frigates were simply the cheapest warships, ships that could be made a whole cloud and quickly. Including by re-equipment of merchant ships. By the middle of the 18th century, similar ships began to be specially produced, but with an emphasis on maximum speed - corvettes. There were even fewer cannons on corvettes, from 10 to 20 (there were actually 12-14 cannons on 10-gun ships, but those that looked at the bow and stern were classified as falconets). The displacement was 250-450 tons.

The number of frigates in the 18th century was significant. England had little more than ships of the line, but still got a lot. Countries with small battleship fleets had several times more frigates than battleships. The exception was Russia, which had one frigate for three battleships. The point was that the frigate was intended to capture space, and with it (space) in the Black and Baltic Seas it was a bit tight. At the very bottom of the hierarchy were sloops - ships designed to carry out sentinel service, reconnaissance, combat piracy, and so on. That is, not to fight other warships. The smallest of them were ordinary schooners of 50-100 tons in weight with several guns less than 12 pounds in caliber. The largest had up to 20 12-pounder guns and a displacement of up to 350-400 tons. Sloops and other auxiliary ships could be any number. For example, Holland in the middle of the 16th century had 6,000 merchant ships, most of which were armed.

By installing additional guns, 300-400 of them could be turned into light frigates. The rest are in sloops. Another question is that the merchant ship brought profit to the Dutch treasury, and the frigate or sloop consumed this profit. England at that time had 600 merchant ships. How many people could be on these ships? A is different. In principle, a sailboat could have one crew member for every ton of displacement. But this worsened habitability and reduced autonomy. On the other hand, the more numerous the crew, the more combat-ready the ship turned out to be. In principle, 20 people could manage the sails of a large frigate. But only in good weather. They could do the same in a storm, simultaneously working on the pumps and battening down the port covers knocked out by the waves, they could do it for a short time. Most likely, their strength would have ended earlier than the wind. To conduct a battle on a 40-gun ship, a minimum of 80 people were required, - 70 load the guns of one side, and another 10 run around the deck and lead. But if the ship performs such a complex maneuver as a turn, all the gunners will have to rush from the lower decks to the masts - when turning, the ship will certainly have to move against the wind for some time, but for this, it will be necessary to tightly reef all direct sails, and then, of course, open them again. If the gunners need to either climb the masts, then run into the hold for the cannonballs - they won’t shoot much.

Typically, sailboats designed for long passages or long cruising had one person on board for 4 tons. This was enough to control the ship and for combat. In the event that the ship was used for landing operations or boarding, the crew could reach one person per ton. How did they fight? If two roughly equal ships met in the sea under the flags of the warring powers, then both of them began to maneuver in order to take a more advantageous position from the side of the wind. One sought to go into the tail of the other - so it was possible at the most interesting moment to take away the wind from the enemy. Considering that the guns were guided by the hull, and the maneuverability of the ship was proportional to its speed, no one wanted to move against the wind at the time of the collision. On the other hand, having too much wind in the sails, it was possible to slip forward and let the enemy pass to the rear. All these dances were original in the sense that it was practically possible to maneuver only by direction.

Of course, the whole story did not fit into the LiveJournal framework, so read the continuation on InfoGlaze -

Autonomy of navigation- the duration of the ship's stay on the voyage without replenishment of fuel, provisions and fresh water, necessary for the life and normal activities of the people (crew and passengers) on the ship.

Afterpeak - the extreme aft compartment of the vessel, occupies the space from the leading edge of the sternpost to the first aft watertight bulkhead from it. It is used as a ballast tank to eliminate the ship's trim and store water.

Ramp - (ramp) a composite platform designed for the entry of vehicles of various types on their own or with the help of special tractors from the shore to one of the decks of the vessel and exit back.

Asterpost - the lower aft part of the vessel in the form of an open or closed frame, which serves as a continuation of the keel. The front branch of the sternpost, in which there is a hole for the stern tube (sternwood) pipe, is called the star post, the rear branch, which serves to hang the rudder, is called the rudder post. On modern single-screw ships, a sternpost without a rudder post has become widespread.

Tank - a superstructure in the bow of the vessel, starting from the stem. It serves to protect the upper deck from flooding in the oncoming wave, as well as to increase the margin of buoyancy and accommodate office space (painting, skipper's, carpentry, etc.). A tank partially recessed into the ship's hull (usually half the height) is called a forecastle. Anchor and mooring devices are usually located on the tank deck or inside it.

Ballast - cargo taken on board the ship to ensure the required landing and stability when the payload and stores are not enough for this. Distinguish between variable and permanent ballast. Water (liquid ballast) is usually used as a variable ballast, and cast iron ingots, a mixture of cement with cast iron shot, less often chains, stone, etc., are used as a permanent ballast.

Baller - a rudder shaft fixedly connected to the rudder blade (nozzle), which serves to turn the rudder blade (nozzle).

Beams - a beam of the transverse set of the vessel, mainly of a T-profile, supporting the deck (platform) flooring. Beams of continuous sections of the deck rest with their ends on frames, in the span - on carlings and longitudinal bulkheads, in the hatch area - on side frames and longitudinal coamings of hatches (such beams are often called half-beams).

Board - the side wall of the ship's hull, extending in length from the stem to the sternpost, and in height from the bottom to the upper deck. The side plating consists of sheets oriented along the vessel, forming belts, and a set of frames and longitudinal stiffeners or side stringers. The height of the impenetrable freeboard determines the buoyancy margin.

Bracket - a rectangular or more complex plate that serves to reinforce the beams of the ship's set or connect them to each other. The bracket is made from the body material.

Breshtuk - a horizontal triangular or trapezoidal bracket that connects the side walls of the stem (sternpost) and gives it the necessary strength and rigidity.

The windlass is a winch-type deck mechanism with a horizontal shaft, designed to lift the anchor and tension the cables during mooring.

Buoy - a floating sign of the navigation situation, designed to protect dangerous places (shoals, reefs, banks, etc.) in the seas, straits, channels, ports.

Bridel - an anchor chain, attached by the root end to a dead anchor on the ground, and by the running end - to the raid mooring barrel.

Bulb - a thickening of the underwater part of the bow of the vessel, usually round or teardrop-shaped, which serves to improve propulsion.

Shafting - designed to transmit torque (power) from the main engine to the propeller. The main elements of the shafting are: propeller shaft, intermediate shafts, main thrust bearing, thrust bearings, stern gear.

Waterways - a special channel along the edge of the deck, which serves to drain water.

Waterline - a line drawn on board a vessel, which shows its draft with a full load at the point of contact of the water surface with the hull of a floating vessel.

Swivel - a device for connecting two parts of the anchor chain, allowing one of them to rotate around its axis. It is used to prevent twisting of the anchor chain when turning the anchored vessel when the wind direction changes.

Light displacement- displacement of the ship without cargo, fuel, lubricating oil, ballast, fresh, boiler water in tanks, provisions, consumables, as well as without passengers, crew and their belongings.

Hook - a steel hook used on ships for lifting cargo with cranes, arrows and other devices.

Helmport - a cutout in the lower part of the stern or in the stern of the vessel for the passage of the rudder stock. Above the helm port, a helm port pipe is usually installed, which ensures the impermeability of the passage of the stock to the steering gear.

Cargo capacity- the total volume of all cargo spaces. Cargo capacity is measured in m3.

Gross tonnage, measured in register tons (1 registered t = 2.83 m3), represents the total volume of the hull and closed superstructures, with the exception of the volumes of the double bottom compartments, ballast water tanks, as well as the volumes of some service spaces and posts located on the upper deck and above (wheelhouse and chart house, galley, crew bathrooms, skylights, shafts, auxiliary machinery rooms, etc.)..
Net tonnage is obtained as a result of subtracting from the gross tonnage the volumes of spaces unsuitable for the carriage of commercial cargo, passengers and stores, including accommodation, public and sanitary crew quarters, spaces occupied by deck machinery and navigational instruments, engine room, etc. In other words, net tonnage includes only premises that bring direct income to the shipowner.

load capacity- the weight of various types of cargo that the ship can carry, provided that the design landing is maintained. There is net tonnage and deadweight.

load capacity is the net gross weight of the payload carried by the vessel, i.e. the mass of cargo in the holds and the mass of passengers with luggage and fresh water and provisions intended for them, the mass of fish caught, etc., when loading the vessel according to the design draft.

cruising range- the greatest distance that a ship can travel at a given speed without replenishing fuel, boiler feed water and lubricating oil.

Deadweight - the difference between the ship's displacement at the load waterline, corresponding to the assigned summer freeboard in water with a density of 1.025 t/m3, and the empty displacement.

Stern tube- serves to support the propeller shaft and ensure water tightness at the point where it exits the hull.

Trim - the inclination of the vessel in the longitudinal plane. The trim characterizes the landing of the vessel and is measured by the difference between its draft (recesses) stern and bow. Trim is considered positive when the forward draft is greater than the stern draft, and negative when the stern draft is greater than the bow draft.

Kabeltov - a tenth of a mile. Therefore, the value of the cable is 185.2 meters.

Carlings - a longitudinal underdeck beam of the vessel, supporting the beams and providing, together with the rest of the set of deck slabs, its strength under the action of a transverse load and stability in the general bending of the vessel. Carlings are supported by hull transverse bulkheads, hatch transverse coamings and pillers.

Rolling - oscillatory movements near the equilibrium position, made by a vessel freely floating on the surface of the water. Distinguish side, keel and vertical pitching. The swing period is the duration of one complete oscillation.

Kingston - an outboard valve on the underwater part of the ship's outer plating. Through the kingston, connected to the inlet or outlet pipes of the ship's systems (ballast, fire fighting, etc.), the ship's compartments are filled with sea water and the water is poured overboard.

Keel - the main longitudinal bottom beam in the diametrical plane (DP) of the vessel, going from the stem to the stern.

Keys - a hole in the hull of the vessel, bordered by a cast-iron or steel cast frame for passing the anchor chain or mooring cables.

Knecht - a pair of bollards with a common base on the deck of the vessel, which serves to secure the mooring or towing cable imposed by eights.

Coaming - vertical waterproof fencing of hatches and other cutouts in the deck of the vessel, as well as the lower part of the bulkhead under the door cutout (threshold). Protects the premises under the hatch and behind the door from water ingress in the open position.

Knitsa - a triangular or trapezoidal plate connecting the beams of the ship's hull set converging at an angle (frames with beams and floors, bulkhead racks with stringers and stiffeners, etc.)

Cofferdam - a narrow impenetrable compartment separating adjacent rooms on a ship. Cofferdam prevents the penetration of gases emitted by oil products from one room to another. For example, on tankers, cargo tanks are separated by a rubber dam from the bow rooms and the engine room. Leer fencing of the open deck in the form of several stretched cables or metal bars.

Lyalo - a recess along the length of the hold (compartment) of the vessel between the bilge belt of the outer plating and the inclined double-bottom sheet (zygomatic stringer), designed to collect bilge water and then remove it using a drainage system.

A nautical mile is a unit of length equal to one arc minute of a meridian. The length of a nautical mile is assumed to be 1852 meters.

Payol - wooden flooring on the deck of the hold.

Gunwale - a bar made of steel or wood, attached to the upper edge of the bulwark.

Ceiling - sewing the ceiling of the residential and many service rooms of the vessel, i.e. undersides of the deck. It is made of thin metal sheets, or non-combustible plastic.

Pillers - a single vertical post that supports the deck of the vessel; can also serve as a support for heavy deck machinery and cargo. The ends of the pillers are connected to the beams of the set with the help of knots.

Spars - a set of above-deck structures and parts of ship equipment designed on ships with mechanical engines to place ship lights, communications, surveillance and signaling equipment, fastening and maintaining cargo devices (masts, booms, etc.), and on sailing ships - for setting, unfastening and carrying sails (masts, topmasts, yardarms, booms, gaffs, bowsprits, etc.)

Steering gear- a ship device that ensures the agility and stability of the vessel on the course. Includes rudder, tiller, steering gear and helm station. The force created by the steering machine is transmitted to the tiller, which causes the stock to rotate, and with it the rudder shift.

Rybinsy - longitudinal wooden slats, 40-50 mm thick and 100-120 mm wide, are installed in special brackets welded to the frames. Designed to protect the cargo from soaking and damage to the package by the side kit. The cheekbone is the place of transition from the bottom to the side of the vessel.

Stringer - a longitudinal element of the ship's hull set in the form of a sheet or T-beam, the wall of which is perpendicular to the hull plating. There are bottom, zygomatic, side and deck stringers.

Lanyard - a device for pulling standing rigging and lashings.

Twin deck - the space inside the ship's hull between 2 decks or between the deck and the platform.

Bulwark - fencing of the open deck in the form of a solid wall with a height of at least 1 m.

Panel - a sheet of plywood or plastic door covering the hole in the ship's door, intended for emergency exit from the premises.

Floor - a steel sheet, the lower edge of which is welded to the bottom plating, and a steel strip is welded to the upper edge. Floors go from side to side, where they are connected to the frames with cheekbones.

Forepeak - the extreme bow compartment of the vessel, extending from the stem to the ram (forepeak) bulkhead, usually serves as a ballast tank. The stem is a beam along the contour of the bow sharpening of the vessel, connecting the skin and a set of starboard and port sides. In the lower part, the stem is connected to the keel. The stem is tilted to the vertical to increase seaworthiness and prevent the destruction of the underwater part of the hull upon impact.

Mooring line - a cable, usually with a fire at the end, designed to pull up and hold the vessel at the berth or at the side of another vessel. As mooring lines, steel, as well as vegetable and synthetic cables made of strong, flexible and wear-resistant fibers are used.

Spacing - the distance between adjacent beams of the ship's hull set. Cross spacing - the distance between the main frames, longitudinal spacing - between the longitudinal beams.

Scupper - a hole in the deck to remove water.