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Fun post. Agree, that navigation skills and technology can't in themselves explain the rise of Northern European maritime strength and adventurousness.

I think in various places Parker makes a lot of points that you pick up on and some others as well. He pointed out in his work on the Armada, that Spanish and Portuguese Atlantic-sailing ships were more designed to intimidate non-European opponents than to fight other warships. They certainly weren't weren't modern 'men-of-war,' designed or set up, like English galleons, to fire repeated broadsides. Until the English and Dutch challenged Spanish and Portuguese naval supremacy, there was no need for such. Parker notes also that as the English found that they could load up their lower, sleeker ships with cannon, they inevitably learned that their ships needed to be built to handle the long-term stress of gun recoils. This level of construction, in turn, provided an advantage in battle, as well as in some types of commerce. Certainly both the English and Dutch realized their "Indiamen" could not be 'fluytbots'!

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Not sure roll was a major factor in seaworthiness. A slow roll is easier on gear and top hamper, which could be rolled out of a ship if the motion was too abrupt, ie the centre of gravity was too low. Ability to sail close to the wind was more a consequence of hull shape and sails. A clean hull was also vital for speed, but the biggest factor was sailing skills.

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Mar 20, 2021Liked by Anton Howes

Reduced wind resistance was a secondary advantage for English ships. Their higher speed and superior maneuverability resulted mostly from being much lighter than their enemies' vessels.

Two things made the older fortress-like ships much heavier than those of the English.

1) Those tall fore- and after-castles were aptly named, and very heavy.

2) Such ships had to be considerably wider (therfore even heavier) not only to support that weight, but to provide capsize-resisting stability under sail to counter the weight of those 'forts' carried so high up.

Losing the tall, heavy forts was an innovation that triggered a virtuous technological circle for the English. The lighter and lower their ships became, the narrower and faster and still lighter they could make them.

Being lower and more stable, English ships could carry considerably more sail area in proportion to their weight. These ships had both higher speed potential (being lighter), and higher propulsive power (being more stable). The result was superior speed and maneuverability that made them far superior both strategically and tactically.

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“They aimed to sink”. Really; How many Spanish ships were actually sunk by gunfire during the Armada adventure if I may ask?

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