Historical Background
In the English Royal Navy ranking system, this is the second-largest vessel classification in the fleet. With 2000 tons displacement and a crew complement of 750 men, they were massive vessels. Early ships had fewer guns arming only two decks or a partial 3rd deck. By the second half of the 18th century, most 2nd Rate Ships of the Line carried 32-pounder guns on the gun deck, 18-pounders middle deck, 12-pounders on the upper deck, and a variety of lighter guns, cannonades, and swivels on their forecastles and quarterdecks.
The French used a smaller classification for 2nd Rates (Ranks). From 1670, the 2nd Rank was a vessel carrying 56 up to 70 carriage guns; it was later redefined as ships carrying 64 to 74 guns in 1683.
The Dutch Second Charter ships were all two-deck vessels with standard dimensions of 156 feet on the upper deck, 133.5 feet on the keel, 41 ft in breadth, and a 15-foot hold depth. Their standard armament was 26 18-pounders on the lower deck, 26 12-pounders on the upper, 18 x 6-pounders on the quarterback, and 4 x 3-pounders on the poop deck.
At their size, when fully loaded with weaponry, they were notorious for being slow under sail and having poor handling. While 1st Rate ships were too valuable to risk in distant deployments, 2nd Rates often served overseas as flagships. They were core units in line ahead tactics and rarely sailed alone.
2nd Rate Ship of the Line – Oak & Iron Stat Card
2nd Rate Ship Analysis
| Attribute | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maneuverability | 33% | ||||
| Speed | 50% | ||||
| Durability | 100% | ||||
| Firepower | 92% | ||||
| Brawling | 83% |
2nd Rate Ship Overview & Tactics
The 2nd largest ship in the game and a whale of a vessel. Its Weight of Fire ability reduces the opponent ship’s Fortitude by one when within Musket Range. Against ships with a base Fortitude of 2, it can chew them to splinters in short order.
This is also the first ship to have a Fortitude of 4. The Very High Freeboard is the best in the game at keeping your Fatigue high as your opponent has to score 3 hits to inflict a single point of Fatigue. As such, this ship ties the 1st Rate for the highest Durability in the game. There is only a 5-point difference in a 2nd Rate and 1st Rate and the additional +1 to Broadside and Crew is a bargain.
Swift and Weatherly are only 3 points and as slow and ponderous as the ship is, a 5% investment in their upgrades can pay dividends and in my opinion should be taken almost every game.
In a 100 and 200-point game, this ship is a good choice for your flagship as it has excellent durability and is difficult to sink. However, it is also extremely slow and not very maneuverable. It’s more of a floating fortress that relies on your opponent closing on you, rather than you chasing down the enemy’s ships.
During the movement phase, you want to move this ship as close to last as possible to be able to align shots on your targets. During the Attack Phase, you typically want to go first with this ship to inflict the most Damage and Fatigue before the enemy can attack back
Pros
- A Fortitude of 4 allows the ship to shrug off most shots from the smallest ships. A Sloop and Corvette can’t even damage this ship without an upgrade or critical hit. Without bonuses, the Brigantine, Fluyt, and Petite Frégate have to get perfect shots with 100% of their cannons to inflict even 1 point of Damage.
- Many opponents are intimidated by the ship and put too much focus on it; this can allow you to use your other ships to greater effectiveness.
- If you initiate a Close Combat action while at full strength, you have 7 Dice before upgrades which is the second-highest in the game. With a good roll, you can inflict massive Fatigue on your opponent.
- It ties the 1st Rate for the highest Durability in the game.
- Weight of Fire can be devastating to smaller ships
- Lots of options to upgrade and specialize the ship’s focus.
Cons
- The ship is expensive in terms of points. In small games it will take a large percentage of your force, putting a lot of your eggs in one basket
- Because of its high price, you will likely have fewer ships in your squadron and thus fewer Strike Points are needed to force you to retreat.
- The ship is slow and clunky by default. You may have a hard time closing with your opponents and if you get caught facing the Wind’s Eye or even Windward, you will be in a world of hurt.
- Being so slow, if it doesn’t have a sail/wind advantage and/or Swift, it can limit your other ship’s abilities while they slow down to stay in formation.
- A 1st rate is only 5 more points to gain an additional +1 Broadside and +1 Crew
- Because of the high cost you should typically only field it in a 200 pt+ game.
Product Referral Links
This ship is available in the Ships of the Line expansion pack for Oak & Iron