106 Gun Ships of the Line

A 106-gun ship-of-the-line has an impressive array of guns and is intended to be the centrepiece of a fleet. While these warships are among the most powerful vessels afloat, they are lubberly sailors, being both slow and unresponsive. This is not a serious shortcoming because, armed with 106 cannons firing 32-, 24-, and 18-pounder balls on their three decks, they deliver a terrible and destructive broadside. They actually have more artillery than most land armies! Their cost, however, is a drawback and few navies can afford to build or maintain more than a handful of them.

Historically, 106-gun ships-of-the-line were never common, and hardly ever sent to overseas stations. They were pure battleships, existing only to fight in set-piece actions, and not for mundane duties such as protecting merchantmen, policing the seas and hunting down privateers. They were commissioned and richly decorated as a physical representation of the glory of the state, but this practice went into decline as warfare became more intense, forcing ships to become more functional.

Armament:
Gundeck: 30 × 32 pound cannon

Middle gundeck: 30 × 24 pound cannon

Upper gundeck: 30 × 12 pound cannon

Quarterdeck: 4 × 12 pound cannon, 12 × 32 pound cannon

Forecastle: 2 × 12 pound cannon, 2 × 32 pound cannon

Poop deck: 6 × 18 pound cannon

Crew:
Total Crew: 600 Men

Seamen: 340 men

Gunners: 318 men

Able Seamen: 22 men

Marines: 240 Marines

Officers: 20 men