Bigger Cannon means many disadvantages

[Destraex]

I was just thinking that unless the admiralty gives you default cannon or none when you purchase the ship initially. That everybody will just use the biggest cannon possible on each deck.

What disadvantages should using the biggest cannon have.

 

* Heavier cannon make the ship more sluggish in performance

* Heavier cannon make the ship lower in the water. In heavy seas this means your lower deck may more easily be rendered unusable.

* Heavier cannon in some cases may mean you can carry less of them - although I think in reality they either fall through the deck or not. So this cannot be true.

* Heavier cannon take longer to reload - this should be a BIG factor. Well maybe not big. But I need to do some research as I know larger cannon had more crew

but I do not know if they reloaded slower --- well not significantly slower.

* Bigger cannon need more crew and so putting larger cannon on takes men from other duties making other things on the ship slower

* Bigger cannon means losing crew affects reload times more than with smaller cannon.

* Bigger cannon would mean more ship movement?? If fired in anything but rolling volley the ship may be adversely affected especially if damaged? Not that different firing patterns are available. I do not know if they would be.

 

What do you guys think.... are there sacrifices to be made by Captains who try to BOAT if you will their ships?

 

I mean if you are on the HMS Victory who is decked out for the biggest and best fine. But if you carry the maximum size cannon on say the surprise. Should their not be disadvantages.

Obviously carronades are a different story that may actually increase the crew you have available.

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

In reality, the reinforcement around the area the cannon as well as the overall displacement which was affected by the resting weight of the cannon themselves dictated the ability to equip and operate a particular cannon.    The platform, and bolts which maintained the lines that prevented the cannon from propelling itself right across the deck were only designed to take so much punishment - a cannon that was too powerful for the way the ship was built would quickly start to tear the ship apart.  In general, ships were designed for a particular weight of throw, and while sometimes that weight could be modified upwards a bit, my general feeling is that upgunning a ship was generally not done without a major in-port refit.  One must also take into account the amount of space dedicated to operating the gun - the larger calibers are longer, wider, and heavier.  There must be enough space for an entire crew of men to operate the gun safely.  When you're dealing with a whole row of guns, each of which has a gunport cut at just the right width for the guns to operate, changing how many or their overall size is not easily done.

 

While one might have a choice between a long-12 or a 26lb carronade, you shouldn't find the option in the game to go from, say a long-12 to a long-24.

[Chilly Willy]

heaver cannons also reduce the amount of cargo you are able to carry

probably dosent mean much to just a warship

but if you are planing to haul anything should be taken into consideration