itch.io Spring Selects Series A
On Sale: GamesAssetsToolsTabletopComics
Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
Tags
(4 edits)

There is some experimental data from the Black Sea Fleet reports of the Russian Navy made in 1828-1829:
https://cyberleninka.ru/article/v/analiz-hodkosti-ostoychivosti-i-upravlyaemosti...
for several ship types ( from 110-gun first rate to small brigs). Unfortunately it does not contain acceleration or deceleration times, but there are speeds and heel angles for various wind conditions as well as times recorded for tacking and wearing.

For example a 44-gun frigate (table 1, col. 4, and it should be noted Russian ships were in general more heavily armed and slower then their French or British counterparts, even if they shared a hull form):

Wind rate 5
- Close-hauled 7 kt
- Beam reach 9.5 kt
- Broad reach 11 kt
- Running 8 kt

Wind rate 7

- Close-hauled 4 kt
- Beam reach 9.5 kt

Heel angle
- Wind rate 5 - 11 deg
- Wind rate 7 - 7 deg
- Wind rate 9 - 8 deg

Wearing (wind 5): 2.5 min
Tacking (wind 5): 2 min
Tacking (wind 7): 3 min

P.S. Found in the text a description of sails set during the trials:
- At wind 5 (up to 10 m/s) running & broad reach all sails (sic) were set.
- At wind 5 beam reach & close-hauled royals & skysails taken in.
- At wind 7 (up to 15 m/s) courses, topsails (double-reefed), t'gallants and fore-staysails were set.
- At wind 9 (up to 20 m/s) fore-course and fore-staysails were set.

P.P.S. Corrected the wind 5 close-hauled config translation and wind 7 close-hauled speed.

Thanks! That's really good stuff. 

There must be similar British reports somewhere, but the only references in the "Frigates of the Napoleonic Wars" list only top speeds and general impressions of the captains.

What page says they set the topgallants in Beaufort 7? (I speak Russian)

 Look at page 4 on the left.

При ветре 7 баллов (до 15 м / с) корабли с прямым вооружением несли нижние паруса, брамсели, фор-стень-стаксель; брали два рифа у марселей.

Yikes. I wouldn't recommend flying topgallants in 36 kts of wind in the simulator.

Maybe it wasn't that bad over double-reefed topsail. That makes the t'gallant significantly lower, doesn't it?

Yes but the mast is still spindly, and it's a gale. 35 kts of wind is TWICE as much pressure as 25! I can only imagine they were saying 'look what I can do!' for the sake of the experiment.

Judging by the speed table it didn't help them much, but there is definitely something rakish in this.