tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post7308629219302382441..comments2024-03-29T04:27:37.731-07:00Comments on JJ's Wargames: In Pursuit of the Essex - Ben Hughescarojonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11826580638291659193noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-773094863768929262022-03-30T04:23:17.174-07:002022-03-30T04:23:17.174-07:00Cherub was 'as designed' an evolution of t...Cherub was 'as designed' an evolution of the ship sloops with a 16 gun main battery (6pdr) and a pair of chase guns on the fo'c'sle platform. When this type of vessel was augmented with carronades in the 1780s and again in 1794, the fo'c'sle and quarterdeck received another 8 carronades 'outside' her rating. The main battery was also replaced by 32pdr carronades in a considerable increase in long range firepower (at the expense of moderate range flatness of fire, and maximum penetration at shorter ranges).<br /><br />The 18pdr frigate also saw augmentation during the 1794 establishment of carronades, with additional carronades added to the castles to augment the existing guns.<br />The exact loading of the carronades varied - between classes and over time, with some being 'supernumerary' and others replacing carriage guns - typical variations for 18pdr frigates of the Phoebe class were either 10 9pdr guns and 8 32pdr carronades, or 4 9pdr guns and 14 32pdr carronades, in addition to the main battery of 26 18pdr guns. <br /><br />By around 1817 ratings were revised to count the actual number of large ordnance fitted - in the case of Phoebe this would then be 44 guns (vs the 46 of the USS Essex at the time of her capture, or 42 guns as established in RN service (though never commissioned as a gun frigate, going to harbour service instead) - and Cherub would have been re-rated as a 26 gun ship sloop. At the same time, the *naming* of the windage allowance was revised from the low gauge of 20/21 parts of the bore, to be (roughly) 24.2/25.2 parts of the bore, which is the middle windage between the existing low and high gauges (no changes to the actual gauges issued at that time), revision increasing the low gauges (and both low and high gauge for the larger shot natures followed in the 1820s)Liestehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01756982959010840813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-79973515397300111992020-12-24T08:56:47.464-08:002020-12-24T08:56:47.464-08:00Hi Vince, and Happy Xmas Mate, hope you have a goo...Hi Vince, and Happy Xmas Mate, hope you have a good one.<br /><br />Yes the rating system was a very uncertain way of assessing ships and their firepower particularly as carronades were not normally included in the number of guns and the different definitions of what a 'pound' was that was used by the different nationalities only helped confuse things further.<br /><br />That was one thing I particularly like with the War by Sail rules, in that they give a factor for the various weapons used by the different navies, allowing a very precise comparison, ship to ship.<br /><br />Hopefully we can get together next year to have a go with them to show what I mean.<br /><br />Cheers<br />JJcarojonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11826580638291659193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-70122007766961934062020-12-22T08:45:22.942-08:002020-12-22T08:45:22.942-08:00Sounds a good read JJ.
I never did understand how...Sounds a good read JJ.<br /><br />I never did understand how HMS Phoebe was rated as carrying 36 guns, nor HMS Cherub 18. If you just count long guns, then Phoebe is understandable, but Cherub was virtually carronade armed and carried more than 18 of them.<br /><br />Vince<br /><br />VinceVincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691369848035290908noreply@blogger.com