Steamship

Steamship
Belongs to	Most Western factions
Crew	117
Guns	34 (14 on each side, 4 bow chasers, 2 stern chasers)
Firepower	1428
Range	300
Accuracy	60
Reloading skill	40
Hull strength	2976
Speed	19
Maneuverability	High
Tech requirement	Steam Engine
Produced from	Steam Drydock
Cost	1740
Upkeep	430

A Steamship is a ship type in Empire: Total War.

Description

A steamship still uses sails, but the ability to ignore the wind is highly desirable in a warship.

By fitting a steam engine and all its machinery into an existing hull, naval architects hoped to create a ship-of-the-line not tied to the wind and tide. In this, they were moderately successful. A steamship can sail independently of the prevailing winds, but most still spend a good deal of time under sail. Coal is expensive, and coaling stations are few and far between; steam is not a practical method of strategic movement.

Tactically, however, it is a different story. With powerful guns, a steamship can out-manoeuvre any sailing ship. Admittedly, the idea of going into battle with a fire raging in the belly of his ship is not one that appeals to every captain. Boiler explosions are not entirely unknown either, as safety features are installed as the fancy takes the engineer, not as a matter of course. A stray shot through the engine room can also do terrible damage.

Historically, the conversion of ships of the line to steam was never going to be anything more than a stopgap measure. Steamships, with their dirt and smoke, were not popular with traditionally minded captains, particularly in the British Royal Navy. They expected obsessively high standards of neatness and cleanliness, with no soot and lubricating oil smeared over their nice clean ships.

General Information

Steamships are some of the fastest ships in the game. Thanks to their steam engines, they can make speedy progress even when facing the wind. Although they still benefit from when sailing with the wind, steamships are not nearly as reliant on them as other ships; therefore, Chain Shot has a minimal effect on them. In addition, rough waters make a relatively low impact when compared to conventional ships.

Steamship cannons have a very short range. However, they make up for this deficiency by having powerful cannons that can quickly destroy targets when brought to bear. Steamships are also very durable, and have well-protected cannons which still function after taking heavy damage.

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	2976	18	9	1740	430
France	70	40	3022	19	9	1890	470
Great Britain	60	55	3134	18	10	1770	440
United States	60	50	3134	18	10	1720	430

Trivia

Upon constructing a steamship for the first time, players are notified of the event. The texts describes steamships as having 71 guns, which is incorrect.