Fourth Rate Ship of the Line

Fourth Rate Ship of the Line
Belongs to	All factions
Crew	155
Guns	58 (27 on each side, 2 bow chasers, 2 stern chasers)
Firepower	872
Range	400
Accuracy	40
Reloading skill	15
Hull strength	3078
Speed	16
Maneuverability	Low
Tech requirement	None
Produced from	Drydock or higher
Special abilities	Top Gallants
Cost	1820 SP/1230 MP
Upkeep	450

The Fourth Rate Ship of the Line is a ship type in Empire: Total War.

Description

The fourth rate is the smallest vessel styled a "ship of the line" (of battle), carrying as many as 60 guns.

Ships of the line of battle are the mainstay of fighting fleets: strong and stable gun platforms for battering enemy vessels into submission. The designation of “fourth rate” for ships of this size is a British Royal Navy one, and covers a number of designs, all with very similar handling and combat power. All fourth rates are square-rigged, two-deck ships, with up to 60 guns on board in a mixture of calibres: usually a mixture of 24-, 18- and 12-pounders, with the heavier guns mounted on the lower deck.

Even though fourth rates are obviously smaller than the third-rate 74s, their firepower is much lower than a simple number-of-guns comparison would indicate. There is no structural strength or space for coping with the recoil of massive guns. As a result, a fourth rate may only have half the weight of fire of a larger ship, although partially it makes up for this by being a handier sailing vessel, especially in shallow waters.

Historically, it was obvious by the 1750s that ships of this size were not tough enough to stand in the line of battle against larger vessels. Over time, various admiralties removed these smaller battle ships from the active service, or sent them to minor stations where they were unlikely to encounter powerful enemies. Some survived as converted transports.

General Information

Fourth rate ships are the smallest true "ship of the line." Although only marginally larger than 5th rates, they have stronger hulls and greater throw weight, carrying 54 cannon of various sizes. Well able to hold their own in a pitched battle, they are useful and flexible warships.

Fourth rates are the lightest ships to have the inferior range of 400. This means that they have a distinct disadvantage against Fifth Rates, which can kite them relatively easily.

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	40	15	3978	14	9	1820	450
France	50	15	4068	15	9	1920	480
Great Britain	40	30	4152	14	10	1850	460
United States	40	25	4152	14	10	1770	440

Gallery

Two 4th rate men-o-war exchanging broadsides.