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Ingermanland

3rd Rate

The Ingermanland is a 4th rate ship of the line, but a ship of the line nonetheless and for this reason the most affordable entry-level option to this new kind of ship. As Captains will have been moving from the small unrated vessels, through the lighter frigates towards heavier bulkier frigates such as the Belle Poule, Trincomalee and ultimately the Constitution, they should be ready at this rank to take on their first command of a ship of the line. It is important to note that, like the Constitution and Indiaman, the Ingermanland has a durability of 4 and not 5 like all other ships up until this point.Ships of the line are built to function in a different manner to frigates (although the Constitution is not enormously different). They are as a rule slower, bulkier to turn and more difficult to manage in terms of rigging and sail handling. However, the benefits are massively increased crew sizes, gun loadouts, structure and armour thickness (again the Constitution is an odd exception to this rule, as she functions and behaves more like a ship of the line than the other frigates). Instead of chasing down enemies and engaging in single ship or few-ship engagements, the ships of the line are built, as their name suggest, to sail in line with one another trading continuous and coordinated fire with other lines of vessels.The Ingermanland has two dedicated gun decks for this purpose as well as guns lining her weather deck. This means that Captains will now command for the first time three batteries per broadside. The guns are also heavier than anything previously; even the mighty Constitution cannot compete with the firepower of the ships of the line - not even the Ingermanland (which is the smallest being only a 4th rate). The Ingermanland carries 32 and 18 pound cannons on her gundecks and 6 pounders on her weatherdeck. With 31 guns a side, this creates a big jump in damage output compared to the 24 and 12 pounders of the Constitution or indeed 18 and 9 pounders of e.g. the Trincomalee. Like the Constitution, she cannot carry carronades on her gundecks and so is restricted to only potentially carrying 12 pound carronades as a substitute for the 6 pound cannons of her weather deck.The structure of the Ingermanland is far higher than any other frigate, excluding the Constitution and her armour is slightly higher than the frigates, again excluding the Constitution with which it is equal in terms of armour.In terms of sailing capabilities, the Ingermanland is the fastest and most maneuverable of the ships of the line - unsurprisingly as she is the smallest. However, this doesn't say much, as she is still slower and bulkier than even the Indiaman. Her good speed for her class, however, is what has prompted the inclusion of four bow chasers and two stern chasers. In a fleet of lineships, she will be the ship tasked with running down disengaging enemies and is therefore very decently equipped for a chase. An escaping Victory, for example, will easily be caught by an Ingermanland - and unlike a frigate, the Ingermanland may even be able to hold her own for a minute or two until more of her own fleet can catch up.In short, the Ingermanland is the smallest ship of the line, but still markedly heavier than any other ship Captains will have sailed so far. In a fleet she will function as the more maneuverable element used for auxiliary roles when heavier lineships are present or as part of the line of battle itself in the absence of far heavier lineships. In particular, her four bow chasers and good speed make her well-suited to pursuing disengaging enemy ships of the line. Finally, here is the sailing profile of the Ingermanland. The wind blows from the top of the chart to the bottom. The numbers around the perimeter are thus points relative the wind at which she can sail. The value between 0 and 1 marked by the red dot is that fraction of speed which she can reach sailing at each point. The Ingermanland is the final stepping stone between the maneuverability of the frigates and the sluggishness of the largest lineships. Her preference for a broad reach is clear and the loss of speed as she approaches a beam reach is more notable than in smaller ships. Finally, her speeds upwind drops very rapidly. In most respects, the Ingermanland behaves like the Constitution in terms of sailing.The 3rd Rate is the classic 74-gun ship of the line. Historically, this was the most common type of vessel employed in the line of battle. Compared to the smaller 4th-rate Ingermanland, the 3rd Rate carries an extra six guns per side, which may not sound much but results in a powerful increase in damage output. Oddly, her largest cannons are smaller than the oversized 32 pound cannons of the Ingermanland, but overall her damage output remains higher. Like the Ingermanland, the 3rd Rate can only carry carronades on her weatherdeck. She carries two chasers on her bow and two on her stern.In terms of structure and armour, the 3rd Rate is markedly tougher than the Ingermanland. Even the until now unparalleled Constitution is trumped by the resilience of the 3rd Rate. To pay for this significant increase in armour and structural integrity, the 3rd Rate suffers from a decreased speed compared to the Ingermanland is in fact, together with the Bellona (below), the fourth slowest vessel in the game; only the first-rates the Victory and the Santisima Trinidad and the peculiar Mortar Brig are slower. She is also slower at turning than other ship mentioned so far in this guide. As a third rate ship of the line, please note that she has a durability of only 3, meaning she can only sink three times before being lost forever, unlike 5 as with all ships prior to this rank.These characteristics combine to make the 3rd Rate the slow and sturdy warship that she is. Her role in combat is in the line of battle resisting enemy attack and maintaining a steady rate of fire back. As a lineship, it is advisable to sail with an escort if there is risk of being engaged by smaller more nimble opponents as ships of the line of her size run the very real risk of being severely outmaneuvered and stern-camped and sunk by smaller vessels. The 3rd Rate will function at its best in a fleet or at least small squadron of ships where they can be assured of the security of their vulnerable sterns while engaging the enemy. Finally, here is the sailing profile of the 3rd Rate. The wind blows from top to bottom of the chart. The numbers on the perimeter are thus points relative the wind at which she can sail. The value between 0 and 1 given by the red marker represents that fraction of her total speed that she can reach on each point. The 3rd Rate is predictably a difficult ship to sail. While she displays the same preference for a broad reach as the other square-rigged vessels, she also displays notably weaker speeds when running before the wind than might be expected. Furthermore, her loss of speed when putting the helm towards the wind is rapid and can often be disastrous in engagements. On a positive note, she performs decently well relatively on a beam reach. In short, do not expect to perform any advanced maneuvers in the 3rd Rate as her low speed, bad turning rate and poor sailing profile combine to make a very challenging command for any Captain.