A type of warship that characterized the navies of the 17th-19th centuries. They possessed from 60-130 guns, and had three masts. They were generally 200 feet long and were crewed by 600-800 men. The armament was arranged among three decks, the heaviest cannons being on the lowest, while the lightest being on top. The name is derived from the type of naval warfare they were used in, line of battle warfare. They made earlier galleons obsolete and were themselves made obsolete after the use of ironclads became widespread.

In the modern context, any naval combat vessel can be considered a ship of the line. This is a legacy from naval history (see writeup by shale), much the same as Order of Battle is a legacy of pre-Napoleanic land combat.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.