Hard_Rom
Northumbrian Skald
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2014
- Posts
- 13,623
Too late now but a standard crew on a 100 gun first rate would be over 800. With only 300+ there is lots of room for cargo. Huge ship and cumbersome to sail but get within a mile of her and she would blow you out of the water with a broadside of 50 guns going as high as 32 pounders. The Putain can do a broadside of 16 14 pounders.
Pirates typically did not carry that much food and water anyways. The Caribbean is not that large with lots of islands to replenish fresh water and game. They were not expected to do long patrol cruises.
Blackbeard had 200 men and 50 guns but stayed usually close to the coast. Hard to find single ships in the vast ocean. Best to watch choke points and major trade routes.
Spanish treasure fleets followed known courses. It would be hard for a standard pirate ship to beat a Spanish Galleon and probably went after stragglers.
Typically pirates went after unarmed merchantmen and relied on stealth and speed. They would run from RN ships of the line and not offer combat.
Look at the modern pirates. In fast boats coming alongside at night and boarding a ship.
A 10 gun sloop with black sails could sneak up on a merchant ship at night. Rake it's deck with grape and canister to kill crew, maybe some chain shot to disable rigging and then swarm aboard. A merchant ship would have far less crew as crew salary cut into profits. A RN ship would have a huge crew as they were expected to fight large battles and needed lots of crew replacements also prize crews to man captured ships in large fleet battles.
GM does make the rules though.
It was not unknown for smaller sailing ships to be able to use oars from a lower deck. Not very fast but at least you could move during a calm or assist sails during low winds. Victoria may want to use oars at times. After a ram attack you might need to back oar away.
I intend to use oars from an unused lower gun deck.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcass_(projectile)
early fire projectile
Victoria's ship would be deadly in an attack on a town/harbour or small fort with her mortars and fire projectiles. Rigging is always vulnerable but with plated hull she could sail close to a fort and set it afire.
I did like the idea of the first rater but she would be cumbersome, draw lots of water, be a handful close in to shore and need to sail close to the wind. Also any merchantman could outrun her. She would have had to work in conjunction with a fleet who could harass and slow down a victim until the 100 gunner caught up and brought it's incredible fire power to bear. Or she could have sailed right into the middle of a bunch of Spanish galleons heavily laden with bullion and shot the hell out of them.
Probably still can with her new ship.
I might be chauvinistic here but I expected a girl pirate to favour an agile, lithe and fast ship not a brute. You do like you firepower don't you. Peace through superior fire power!
Again just rambling here.
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