04-16-2007, 09:12 PM
Agreed. Sinking wooden ships is possible, but not all that easy. The Wikipedia article on Trafalgar summarizes the losses thusly:
"The British took 22 vessels of the Franco-Spanish fleet and lost none. Among the taken French ships were the Aigle, Algésiras, Berwick, Bucentaure, Fougueux, Intrépide, Redoutable, and Swiftsure. The Spanish ships taken were Argonauta, Bahama, Monarca, Neptuno, San AgustÃn, San Ildefonso, San Juan Nepomuceno, SantÃsima Trinidad, and Santa Ana. Of these, Redoutable sank, SantÃsima Trinidad and Argonauta were scuttled by the British and later sank, Achille exploded, Intrépide and San AugustÃn burned, and Aigle, Berwick, Fougueux, and Monarca were wrecked in a gale following the battle."
Only one ship actually sank during the decisive naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars.
"The British took 22 vessels of the Franco-Spanish fleet and lost none. Among the taken French ships were the Aigle, Algésiras, Berwick, Bucentaure, Fougueux, Intrépide, Redoutable, and Swiftsure. The Spanish ships taken were Argonauta, Bahama, Monarca, Neptuno, San AgustÃn, San Ildefonso, San Juan Nepomuceno, SantÃsima Trinidad, and Santa Ana. Of these, Redoutable sank, SantÃsima Trinidad and Argonauta were scuttled by the British and later sank, Achille exploded, Intrépide and San AugustÃn burned, and Aigle, Berwick, Fougueux, and Monarca were wrecked in a gale following the battle."
Only one ship actually sank during the decisive naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars.
Felix Wang
