Distant Guns 1.5 first impressions

[Coypus]

..... I was not suggesting that Nelson did not know what he was doing, only that his ships moved relatively slowly while doing it.

I disagree with Tunstall that winds prevented Villeneuve from dressing or maneuvering his fleet. Dumanoir certainly succeeded in wearing the van division during the battle. I will however concede that the multiply-layered Franco-Spanish line of battle, with ships situated in the intervals of their neighbors to windward, would have highly complicated any attempt at maneuver. There is a question, though, as to whether this configuration was the result of an inability on the part of Villeneuve's ships to properly reach or maintain station or a conscious tactical arrangement on the part of Villeneuve, who had accurately predicted Nelson's plan of attack in pre-battle correspondence to his captains. I tend to lean to the latter explanation, as most of Villeneuve's ships should have been reasonably well worked up by their voyage to the West Indies and back.

How was the Van of the combined fleet going to get back through the no sail zone to engage?

The good mr Tunstall again.

"The British captains were better at handling their ships so as to give mutual support, and in making such movements as were possible in order to bring superior fire to bear at angles from which their opponent could not so effectively reply"

 

[ExMachina]

Now, you obviously have read somewhere in some source or spoken to someone who should know that early 1900's era naval officers were trying to get T-crossing shots. Now you tell me what your sources were and I'll go try and read them.

RJW specific, Kaigun p.76-78

 

[Blutarski]

How was the Van of the combined fleet going to get back through the no sail zone to engage?

..... Are you referring to the +/- 6 or 7 point zone off the source of the wind wherein square-rigged ships cannot sail or the lee shore?

The good mr Tunstall again.

"The British captains were better at handling their ships so as to give mutual support, and in making such movements as were possible in order to bring superior fire to bear at angles from which their opponent could not so effectively reply"

..... That was perfectly true. But it doesn't mean that the ships of the Franco/Spanish fleet were by any means helpless. The record shows a respectable amount of tctical maneuvering on the part of the F/S ships at Trafalgar.



B

 

[Daedalus]

Exactly the point I'm making which is lost in Distant guns

I am at a loss to see what you are stating!