RP- Port Battle for the Strait

[Meliva]

Brian shakes his head

The point remains-if 2 captains of equal skill, battle with a sloop and a frigate, and equal conditions, the frigate will win 9 times out of 10. A sloop, no matter how outfitted it may be, is still inferior to a decent frigate-tactics and the captains skill is a different matter altogether. Your logic would be like to say a hyena just as mighty as a lion, because you have seen a hyena manage to kill a lion by outsmarting it. At the end of the day, one is clearly greater then the other. So a cutter is always inferior to a frigate in battle. But as I said-a cutter is faster and good at running away from such large ships. But I digress, me and Carl will be hitting the hay. Tomorrow the 2 of us will be outfitting our brig for more cannons if possible.

[Jack Teach]

Jack shakes his head

That's not what I meant to say. Yes, a frigate is going to win nine times out of ten and is a superior warship to a sloop or cutter. However, there is one singular tactic, which only captains who have used it can defend from adequately on board a larger vessel because they know how the tactic is used and when to expect it. This involves placing your small, but well-armed vessel so close to the enemy, that their broadsides won't hit you. This can be done with a cutter or sloop, or a brig. Preferably a brig. You sag your sails to make yourself look like and innocent merchantmen, you fly friendly colors, and at the right time, down goes the fake flag, up goes the real one and you fire your broadside into them. You must then proceed to keep your ship in the right position, firing into the enemy's mainmast or hull. You can sweep her decks, and then even maybe board the enemy. If not, simply run away. I myself have done this twice, and both times we were fighting an experienced captain and celebrated captain sailing a 32 or 36 gun frigate.

[Meliva]

Brian just nods

You stated that sloops don't make for bad combat ships- but using that tactic doesn't prove its a good combat ship-just that if used in a smart way it can contend with bigger ships, but its a very risky tactic. And at the end of the day, a sloop or cutter do NOT make for good combat ships-your whole tactic involves them not knowing of it, and falling for a trap. Tell me, what do you think would happen if the enemy frigate, knowing the trick, pretends to fall for it, getting in close proximity to fire every broadside they have into your tiny sloop? I will tell you what would happen, your sloop would be splinters, your men drowning or dead, and no way of running after the first broadside.

And don't you think a smart captain would notice that the "innocent merchant vessel" is carrying a suprisingly large number of guns for a ship its size?

[Jack Teach]

Jack nods and says in a friendly

Aye, but if he only sees a ton of men on deck. From a distance, a sloop carrying 14 guns is rather intimidating for a vessel of its small size, but there are plenty of merchantmen who carry a good amount of guns, such as East Indiamen, but more often than not, it's merely used for intimidation. Those ships rarely carry enough men to work those guns. They try to disguise themselves as man o' war, King's ships, but to a pirate with a prying eye the tactic of intimidation generally fails. And against most targets that aren't man o' war, they can make for excellent fighting ships. Also, getting close is the whole idea and..

Jack leans in very close

You don't have to tell what happens when a ship gets hit with too many broadsides, because I've been on a ship that sunk, its not pretty, I'm not stupid, I know very well what happens when a smaller ship is hit with a superior broadside.

[Meliva]

Brian nods

Which is just proof that smaller ships are not good combat ships. They can work sure, but using them to attack larger ships is a huge gamble. If it works, its a good pay day, if it fails, then it may be your last day sailing.

Need I remind you that you started this little argument. I said that a cutter serves as a poor combat ship, as me and Ellen never even tried to use our cutter for ship battles knowing this, you tried to state otherwise, but as this little discussion has shown, cutters, no matter how well armed, are simply not very good ships to have in a battle. They need to rely almost solely on ambushes or fighting other small ships. Regardless, its getting late. I want to get up early tomorrow and see about adding some more cannons to my brig. Have a good night Jack.

Brian gets up and leaves, Carl decides to stay for a few more drinks.

[Jack Teach]

Jack nods and smiles

Goodnight Brian.

Jack looks to Carl

How many men does your vessel carry? Mind you, it is a vessel, and not a ship. In order to for a vessel to be a ship, it's got to have three masts, but I suspect you knew that already.

[Meliva]

Carl shrugs

Hell if I know. Mind you jack I am an uneducated man. I can't read, and my math ain't too good either. I know we have more men on our ship then I can count, and I can count to 50. So we got more then 50. How much more, I don't know. I just fight with Brian, he runs everything else. And, no I didn't know that about vessels and ships. Still gonna call it a ship though. As my father told me, anything bigger then a boat is a ship. And that brig is bigger then a boat.

I find it funny that jack keeps forgetting that carl is, honestly rather an idiot. A brave and loyal friend, but still an idiot

[Jack Teach]

Jack nods

Guess your father suffered the same disease as you.

[Meliva]

Carl laughs

Mate, im in perfect health. I ain't too smart on account that unlike some people, i didn't get no schooling. My father didn't get none either. So we had to learn things on our own. Well that and the fact i spent several years constantly picking bar fights and constantly getting head injuries didn't help much either. Say, have i ever told you the time during a fight, a man hit me in the head with a metal spike. Doctor said it hit me brain and took a piece out, that was around the time I started dating that sheep. Emily actually fixed my brain enough to where i finally realized I was engaged to a sheep. Remember that? God that was hilarious.

Carl moves his hair a bit and shows off a very large scar on his head. The bartender winces slightly at it as he says to Jack

No bloody wonder the man's an idiot. How the bleeding hell is he still alive.

[Jack Teach]

Jack chuckles

That's what I meant by disease. Also if you got no schooling, how'd you become a captain in the Spanish Royal Navy?