Ship of the line facts for kids

A 17th century painting of a ship of the line

HMS Victory a modern ship of the line

A Ship of the line was a very strong warship. Most of these ships were built between the 1600s and the 1800s. During this time, naval battles involved many of these ships. They would sail in a long line to fight. At first, they were large sailing ships. But around the 1840s, ships of the line started using steam engines. These steam-powered ships were still made of wood. By 1859, the Ironclad warship began to replace them.

These ships carried many cannons. Bigger ships had more cannons. This meant they had a better chance of hitting enemy ships. Today, warships look very different. Cannons are no longer the main weapon.

What Was a Ship of the Line?

A ship of the line was the most powerful type of warship of its time. It was designed to be strong enough to stand in the "line of battle." This was a special formation where ships sailed one after another. This allowed them to fire all their cannons at the enemy. These ships were the main fighting force of navies for about 200 years.

How They Fought in a Line

Naval battles in the Age of Sail were very organized. Ships would form a single line. This was called the "line ahead" formation. It let each ship use its side cannons, called broadsides. Firing together, they created a wall of cannon fire. This formation also helped protect ships from being surrounded. It made sure each ship could support the one in front and behind it.

From Sail to Steam Power

For most of their history, ships of the line relied on wind and sails. They were huge wooden vessels. But in the 1840s, new technology arrived. Steam engines were added to some ships. This meant they could move even when there was no wind. The first steam battleship was the French ship Napoléon in 1850. These early steam ships still had sails as a backup.

The End of an Era

The age of the wooden ship of the line ended quickly. In 1859, the first Ironclad warship was built. This was the French ship La Gloire. Ironclads had thick iron armor. This armor could stop cannonballs. Wooden ships could not compete with them. Soon, all navies started building ironclad warships. This made the old wooden ships of the line outdated.

Images for kids

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  The carrack Henri Grace à Dieu, from the Anthony Roll

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  Sovereign of the Seas, a contemporaneous engraving by J. Payne

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  Napoléon (1850), the first steam battleship

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  Turner's depiction of HMS Temeraire, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar, ignominiously towed by a little steamship.

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  HMS Victory in 1884, the only surviving example of a ship of the line

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  HMS Victory at drydock in Portsmouth Harbour, 2007

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  A contemporary diagram illustrating a first- and a third-rate ship

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  Mahmudiye (1829)

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  Valmy (1847)

See also

In Spanish: Navío de línea para niños