Bomb Ketch

Bomb Ketch
Belongs to	All factions
Crew	45
Guns	14 (6 cannons on each side; 2 howitzers)
Firepower	960
Range	750
Accuracy	60
Reloading skill	20
Hull strength	1124
Speed	16
Maneuverability	Low
Tech requirement	Explosive Shells
Produced from	Dockyard
Cost	1190 SP/945 MP
Upkeep	290

The Bomb Ketch is a ship type in Empire: Total War.

Description

The "bomb" is a floating weapons platform, usually adapted from a small, two-masted ketch. The whole ship is considered around a single large-calibre mortar.

Strongly-built bomb ketches must withstand the recoil of repeated mortar discharges. Often chains replace the rigging ropes nearest the mortar to prevent muzzle blast damage. They are the only naval vessels to carry and use explosive shells, making them a hazardous assignment. As a mark of all their explosive qualities, they often had volcanic names! The fact that the ketch should be at anchor in order to fire accurately also makes them easy targets for any return fire.

Bomb ketches are not good sailing ships. The mortar has to be on the centre line, with a clear vertical field of fire. This means that the masts had to be aft of their ideal positions, making the ship handling qualities rather poor. With these limitations in mind, however, they are a powerful addition to any admiral’s firepower. The ability to deliver shells by indirect fire (lobbing shells into fortifications, for example) is very useful.

Historically, the bomb ketch was a French invention, but other nations perfected the idea. The British mounted the mortar on a rotating platform so that it was no longer necessary to move the whole vessel to change aim. “The Star-Spangled Banner”, the US national anthem, commemorates these ships with the line “the bombs bursting in air.”

General Information

The Bomb Ketch is a support ship. It carries two mortars as its primary armament, which are inaccurate but potentially devastating if they do hit enemy ships, breaking masts, killing crews and damaging hulls. It has a greater range than most other ships from which to fire its mortars (which it fires directly in front of the ship, rather than on its sides). Unlike land howitzers, bomb ketches can only fire one type of ammunition: explosive shells which generally detonate when they approach sea level, although sometimes they harmlessly detonate too high in the air and sometimes they fail to detonate at all. The generally slower movement of ships mean that Bomb Ketches can often get multiple volleys off before coming in range of enemy guns.

The bomb ketch is only lightly armed with cannon and has a very weak hull. It is also more prone to explosion than any other ship in the game. These characteristics make it fare very poorly in a direct engagement.

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	60	20	1124	15	6	1190	290
France	70	20	1140	16	6	1330	330
Great Britain	60	35	1176	15	7	1260	310
United States	60	30	1176	15	7	1225	300