Civilopedia[]
Ships of the Line were the largest vessels deployed during the height of the European wooden navies, from the seventeenth until the mid-nineteenth century. In naval strategy, the most powerful ships of each respective navy would often form into lines and unleash a barrage upon their rivals. Ships of the Line, as these elite vessels were known, usually carried 80 or more guns, but this extra-heavy armament cost the vessel dearly in maneuverability.