Military - Tactics, Naval

Naval battles can be tricky, there have somewhat little strategy to them, and it
boils down to the same thing, the amounts of shots you can pump into them, i te
nd to prefer the use of 'the line'. that is when ships are following each other,
the heaviest up front, that is in order: 1st rate, 2nd rate .... 6th rate, sloo
ps and brigs. each have they pros and cons, first rates have a large broadside,
and can decimate smaller ships in just one or two full broadsides. they are howe
ver very slow. a frigate has little gun power, but largely makes up for it in te
rms of speed and handling, and can outrun most ships.
in these naval battles, there is three different types of ammunition:
Round shot: a basic ball, this has the most range and accuracy, it is used mainl
y to decimate the hull of the ship, in intent to set fire to it, make it surrend
er or sinking it.
Chain shot: two balls chained together, the purpose of this is to destroy the sa
ils and masts, making the ship slower (and making it, as the saying goes, a sitt
ing duck). this is best used when firing perpendicular to this ship (that is, if
your ship is sailing in front (or behind) of the enemy ship, and fires, along t
he length of the ship). this will cause the most damage. and if you manage to de
stroy the masts on a ship, this will reduce their morale significantly, and will
usually surrender, or surrender soon after. Doing this is sometime a good way o
f capturing a ship or making it surrender, and also, they won't be able to flee
as quickly either. if a ship has been de-mastered, it is at a significant advant
age, so much so that if a 1st rate is completely de-mastered, a 6th rate will be
able to take it (by attack from behind or in front, perpendicular to it)
Grape shot: if you want, this is a shotgun. just bigger. you use it at close ran
ge (usefull just before boarding) to kill the actual men aboard the ship, doesn'
t damage the ship to, very usefull against single decked ship (such as 5th and 6
th rates, sloops, brigs and galleys).
TIP: when you setting up, group your naval units, then tell them where to go, yo
u will notice it will be a lot different that way then when they not grouped. tr
y it out and see which fits you the best
TIP: having more then one 'line' can be usefull, it can also backfire very quick
ly (friendly fire).
Personally, i do not use the boarding action very often. but that is just me, yo
u may want to experiment with this.
But really, i can't tell you much about naval battles, it is all acquired throug
ht experience, you will eventually know your limitation, and even if you can win
the battle before it starts, (for example, a 1st rate against 20 galleys will u
sually loose)