|
Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II |
1797 |
British and Dutch Fleets |
74 |
66, and the four remaining ships, 16, making a total of 68 guns. The four 50s mounted 56 guns each : twenty-four 18, twenty-four 12, and eight 8 pounders ; and the Mars, formerly a 60-gun ship, mounted, on her main deck, twenty-six 32, and on her quarterdeck and forecastle, eighteen 18 pounders. So that, although nominally a 44-gun frigate, the Mars, in broadside weight of metal, rather exceeded a British 64. With these explanations, the following will be the account of the number and nature of guns mounted by the two fleets:
BRITISH |
DUTCH |
Long guns |
No. |
No. |
Long guns |
No. |
No. |
32 pounders |
196 |
|
32 pounders |
216 |
|
24 pounders |
226 |
|
24 pounders |
104 |
|
18 pounders |
380 |
|
18 pounders |
408 |
|
12 pounders |
44 |
|
12 pounders |
168 |
|
9 pounders |
206 |
|
8 pounders |
138 |
|
6 pounders |
12 |
1064 |
|
|
|
Carronades |
|
|
Carronades |
|
|
68 pounders |
2 |
|
None apparently. |
|
|
32 pounders |
14 |
|
|
|
24 pounders |
28 |
|
|
|
18 pounders |
42 |
86 |
|
|
Total |
1150 |
Total |
1034 |
The complements of the Dutch ships may be stated as they were returned by their own officers. From being expressed in round numbers, they were probably the full establishment of each ship ; but any deficiency in that respect is more than counterbalanced by the liberal allowance made on the other side. Having thus analyzed the armaments of the different ships engaged, we can, with more confidence, proceed to our next task, that of exhibiting, in one view, the:
COMPARATIVE FORCE OF THE TWO FLEETS. |
|
|
BRITISH. |
DUTCH. |
Ships |
No. |
16 |
16 |
Broadside-guns |
No. |
575 |
517 |
lbs. |
11501 |
9857 |
Crews |
Agg. No. |
8221 |
7157 |
Size |
tons |
23601 |
20937 |
When it is considered, that the Dutch had placed their frigates and ship and brig corvettes (even the latter carrying long 12, and some of them Iong 18-pounders), abreast of the intervals in their line, and that many of the British ships, in the van, centre, and rear, were much annoyed, as they luffed up to leeward of their opponents, by the raking fire of those vessel, the above statement, which excludes the whole of them, must appear, if favouring either party, to favour the Dutch. We might perhaps, fairly enough, owing to their active interference,
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