Carronade Frigate

Carronade Frigate
Belongs to	Most factions
Crew	79
Guns	24 (12 on each side)
Firepower	984
Range	300
Accuracy	60
Reloading skill	40
Hull strength	2716
Speed	21
Maneuverability	Medium
Tech requirement	Carronades
Produced from	Drydock
Cost	1160 SP/820 MP
Upkeep	290

The Carronade Frigate is a ship type in Empire: Total War.

Description

Carronade frigates are single-deck vessels, with extremely impressive short-range firepower.

Normally frigates would be armed with long guns, probably no larger than 12-pounders. A few short-barrelled 64-pounder carronades might be aboard to give a close-in broadside more weight of shot. A carronade frigate goes one better, and carries nothing but carronades – short guns that are half the weight of the equivalent conventional cannon. While the weight of a broadside is truly awesome, the frigate has to get in close in order to blow an enemy to smithereens thanks to the carronades’ limited range. A clever enemy will stay out of range of the carronades’ horrendous power and take long range pot shots.

Historically, only the Royal Navy experimented with an all-carronade armament aboard HMS Glatton (in service from 1795). Glatton carried 28 64-pounder and 28 32-pounder carronades, giving a weight of fire that was more than 17% greater than HMS Victory could deliver at the Battle of Trafalgar! This massive firepower allowed her, on one occasion, to chase all eight vessels in a French squadron back into port. Oddly enough, the next two vessels to carry the name “Glatton” in RN service were also massively over-armed.

General Information

Carronade frigates are entirely armed with carronades. These powerful, short-ranged weapons pack a mighty punch, smashing hulls with their oversize round shot. However, this destructive force comes at a penalty, and carronade frigates have only half the range of a standard frigate. Thankfully, carronade frigates are fairly speedy ships and handle well. Defensively, carronade frigates are rather sturdy ships for their size, but they may have a problem both attacking and retreating due to their inferior range.

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	40	2716	18	8	1160	290
France	70	40	2790	19	8	1310	320
Great Britain	60	55	2856	18	9	1170	290
Spain	60	40	2716	18	8	1150	280
United States	60	50	2856	18	9	1120	280

Gallery

A carronade frigate on the high seas.