Admiral's Flagship, 1st Rate

Admiral's Flagship, 1st Rate
Belongs to	All factions
Crew	267
Guns	106 (49 on each side, 4 bow chasers, 4 stern chasers)
Firepower	2488
Range	400
Accuracy	30
Reloading skill	10
Hull strength	8948
Speed	14
Maneuverability	Low
Tech requirement	None
Produced from	Steam Drydock
Special abilities	Top Gallants
Cost	3560 SP/3020 MP
Upkeep	890

Admiral's Flagship, 1st Rate is a ship type in Empire: Total War.

Description

The first rate is the largest type of "ship of the line", intended to be the command ship at the centre of any fleet.

While these warships are among the most powerful vessels afloat, they are poor sailors, being both slow and unresponsive. This is not a serious shortcoming because, armed with around 100 cannons firing 32, 24 and 18-pounder balls on their three decks, they can fire a terrible and destructive broadside. They carry a crew of over 800 sailors, gunners and marines and have more artillery than most land armies. Their cost, however, is a drawback and few navies can afford to build or maintain more than a handful of them. Their great size, however, means that an admiral and his staff can be carried with little disruption to the normal working of the ship.

One first rate flagship never even reached the sea! The British Royal Navy’s HMS St Lawrence was built, launched and served only on Lake Ontario. Shallow rapids meant that few vessels could reach the lake from the sea, and Niagara Falls prevented any ship from leaving the lake in the other direction.

General Information

The Admiral's Flagship, 1st Rate is similar to regular First Rate Ships of the Line, but boasts better hull strength in exchange for higher construction and upkeep costs. It is thus very durable and packs one of the most powerful broadsides in the game. It has four powerful cannons at both its prow and stern, making it difficult to approach (by ships with equivalent range) without taking damage. However, it has very poor speed and rather poor range, making it vulnerable to kiting from smaller, faster vessels.

Some factions' ship statistics are different from others; differences are listed below (traits that to not differ are not listed).

Type	Accuracy	Reload Skill	Hull Strength	Speed	Morale	Cost	Upkeep
Standard	30	10	8948	12	12	3560	890
France	40	10	9062	13	12	3590	890
Great Britain	30	25	9408	12	13	3630	900
Spain	30	10	8948	12	12	3550	880
United States	30	20	9408	12	13	3610	900