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Stormbringer wrote:
American gunnery wasn't quite as good as british gunnery true. But the fact that the Indy will be shooting much lighter shot against a tougher target is going to negate that a lot. Remember, she's going to have to go under Old Ironsides' guns in order to do damage.

And the American captain would have to be very careless and stupid to allow herself to be raked. Constitution has a manuverability advantage on the Indefatigable and only a stupid captain would piss that away.

A stupid Captain such as the captain of the Java, allowing heis ship to be raked 3 times. If the Indy opened fire atlong range aiming high, then the rigging would be shot to hell, and the Cunnie would be powerless to avoid being raked, leading to capture, but thats all bloody hypothetical.

Ted wrote:

Stormbringer wrote:
American gunnery wasn't quite as good as british gunnery true. But the fact that the Indy will be shooting much lighter shot against a tougher target is going to negate that a lot. Remember, she's going to have to go under Old Ironsides' guns in order to do damage.

And the American captain would have to be very careless and stupid to allow herself to be raked. Constitution has a manuverability advantage on the Indefatigable and only a stupid captain would piss that away.

A stupid Captain such as the captain of the Java, allowing heis ship to be raked 3 times. If the Indy opened fire atlong range aiming high, then the rigging would be shot to hell, and the Cunnie would be powerless to avoid being raked, leading to capture, but thats all bloody hypothetical.

True, yet Constitution never had a captain quite that dumb. And it's been assumed that it's one of the famous American captains versus Pellew and Hornblower.

And if the Indy tried that she'd be open to it in return. And the Connie has more and heavier guns to reply.

Ted wrote:

Stormbringer wrote:
American gunnery wasn't quite as good as british gunnery true. But the fact that the Indy will be shooting much lighter shot against a tougher target is going to negate that a lot. Remember, she's going to have to go under Old Ironsides' guns in order to do damage.

And the American captain would have to be very careless and stupid to allow herself to be raked. Constitution has a manuverability advantage on the Indefatigable and only a stupid captain would piss that away.

A stupid Captain such as the captain of the Java, allowing heis ship to be raked 3 times. If the Indy opened fire atlong range aiming high, then the rigging would be shot to hell, and the Cunnie would be powerless to avoid being raked, leading to capture, but thats all bloody hypothetical.

The reverse could happen nearly as easily. And Ironsides guns carry further. Really, one you have to reley in tactics such as this and count on one small advantage to do it, its clear that one ship is indeed better.

A lot closer match up would really be the Lydia versus the Constitution. Both are much closer in capabilties and armament. And I'd love to see Hornblower vs Issiac Hull.

Ted wrote:

Stormbringer wrote:
American gunnery wasn't quite as good as british gunnery true. But the fact that the Indy will be shooting much lighter shot against a tougher target is going to negate that a lot. Remember, she's going to have to go under Old Ironsides' guns in order to do damage.

And the American captain would have to be very careless and stupid to allow herself to be raked. Constitution has a manuverability advantage on the Indefatigable and only a stupid captain would piss that away.

A stupid Captain such as the captain of the Java, allowing heis ship to be raked 3 times. If the Indy opened fire atlong range aiming high, then the rigging would be shot to hell, and the Cunnie would be powerless to avoid being raked, leading to capture, but thats all bloody hypothetical.

That was pretty much what happened to Java. The first rake occurred when Java made a mistake trying to rake Constitution, and the first rake took down most of Java's rigging, leaving her near dead in the water and open for the other rakes. Total losses were 150 on board Java to 34 on board Constitution; this includes both dead and wounded. Java was roughly 90% as powerful in guns as Constitution, yet only 1/5 as many casualties were inflicted, due to more accurate and more rapid fire from the Constitution.