The fourth wave of Sails of Glory Ship Packs is now arriving in stores, with the 34-guns Mahonesa Class Frigates and the 64-guns Third Rate Ships-of-the-Line released in October, and the 80-guns Bucentaure / Tonnant Class Ships-of-the-Line and the East Indiamen Ex-Merchant Ships in distribution starting from November 17th. The new ships swell the game with new Spanish frigates, complete the range of British and French vessels and include ex-merchant ships, on the wish-list of many Sails of Glory players.

With this new series, the Sails of Glory line-up includes 18 classes of ships of the Napoleonic Age, each of them presented in three or more versions; a total of 58 ships have already been released, including an extensive range of French and English ships, and several of the most important Spanish and United States vessels.

The new series introduces a new type of ships, requested by Sails of Glory players: the ex-merchant East Indiamen, large merchant ships sailing under the flag or major European trading powers on behalf of the powerful East India companies. The main purpose of these ships was to transport goods and passengers, but they were often well–armed to defend themselves. Some of these merchant ships were converted to warships, and three of them are represented in the new Ship Packs: the French flag Duc de Duras 1765 and Bertin 1761, and the famous Bonhomme Richard 1779, loaned by the French Crown to the newborn American Continental Navy.

The other new ships presented in the fourth series are 34-guns Mahonesa Class Frigates of Spanish Navy, British 64-guns Third Rate Ships-of-the-Line (Ardent-class, Intrepid-class and Inflexible-class) and 80–gun third rates of French Navy.

The Mahonesa class was a class of 5th–rate frigates part of the “Armada Real”. Often considered the best frigates in the Spanish Navy, they had a designed crew of around 280, and were armed with 26 12–Pounder guns in the lower deck and 8 6–Pounder guns in the upperdeck. The versions featured in the three Ship Packs are the Santa Monica 1789 (aka Mahonesa)/Ninfa 1795, Diana 1793/Proserpina 1797, and HMS Hamadryad 1797 (captured by British Navy)/HMS Mahonesa 1796.

The 64-guns Third Rate Ships-of-the-Line Ship Packs present three classes of ships used by the Royal Navy with similar characteristics: Ardent, Intrepid and Inflexible, all with a designed crew of around 500.

The Ardent class ships were designed using as a reference the French ship Fougueux. The Ship Pack feature the HMS Agamemnon 1781, which took part in the major naval battles of the American Revolutionary, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and had Lord Nelson serving as captain during her service in the Mediterranean Sea. It can also be used to represent the HMS Raisonnable 1768.

The Intrepid class ship pack brings the HMS Polyphemus 1782, a ship that sailed in the North Sea Fleet on the Baltic Sea until 1802, and took part in the Battle of Trafalgar, having engaged the French ships Neptune and Achille and captured the Spanish ship Argonauta. She can also be used to play as the HMS America 1777.

The HMS Africa 1781 is an Inflexible class ship, with a design based on the earlier Albion class. HMS Africa participated to the last battle of the American War of Independence, at Cuddalore in 1783, and, back to England, was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, engaging the combined Franco–Spanish fleet in battle. She also fought in the Baltic Sea during the Gunboat War and took part of the War of 1812, failing to catch the USS Constitution. This ship pack can be played as the Intrepid class ship HMS Vigilant 1774.

The French Navy is present in this new series with two Bucentaure class ships and one Tonnant class ship. Bucentaure was a class of twenty–one 80–gun third rates, with a designed crew of around 500, while the Tonnant class was a group of eight 80-gun third rates ships of the line that had a designed crew of around 780.

The Bucentaure 1803 was the lead ship of her class and was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Villeneuve who hosted the Franco–Spanish war council at Cadiz on board. At the Battle of Trafalgar, she was defeated by Admiral Nelson's HMS Victory. This ship can also be used to represent the Robuste 1806. The other Bucentaure class ship pack features the Neptune 1803, launched at the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars. After missions on the West Indies, she was used against the British in Mediterranean Sea. During the Battle of Trafalgar she was engaged by Nelson himself, and she dueled with several British ships, surviving the battle. She later became part of the Spanish fleet, named Neptuno, after Spain declared war to France, and spent most of her life under the Spanish flag. She can also plays to represent the ship Ville de Varsovie 1808.

The Tonnant class ship HMS Malta previously served with the French Navy as the “Guillaume Tell”, until she was captured in the Mediterranean Sea by the British Navy during the blockade of Malta. She took part in the Battle of the Nile and was one of only two French ships to escape the destruction of the fleet. After taking refuge at Malta, she was captured and sailed in the British Navy for 40 years. This ship pack can also be used to represent the British HMS Tonnant 1798.

These 12 new ships packs expand the options already available for Sails of Glory players, with three series released since the game was launched, in January 2014:

Series 1

32-guns Concorde Class Frigates - Fifth-rate, 32-guns, fast and maneuverable ships. Three were built at Rochefort from 1777 to 1779 - the Courageuse, the Concorde and the Hermione. They were armed with twenty-six 12-pounder long guns on the main battery and lighter pieces of artillery – four 6-pounder guns on the forecastle and two on the poop deck – and were designed for a crew of 280. The versions featured in the Sails of Glory Ship Packs are: HMS Concorde 1783/HMS Unite 1796 (British), Hermione 1779/L'Inconstante 1786 (French), and Sirena 1793/Ifigenia 1795 (Spanish).

74-guns Téméraire Class Ships of the Line - Téméraire Class was and remains the most numerous class of capital ships ever built, with 67 built between 1782 and 1824 for the French navy. These third-rate, 74-guns ships had a designed crew of 700. They were armed with 28 36-Pounder guns in the lower deck, 30 18-Pounder guns in the upperdeck, and 16 8-Pounder guns in the quarterdeck and in the forecastle. Versions featured in the ship packs: HMS Impétuex 1796 (former French ship America 1788) /HMS Spartiate 1798, Commerce de Bordeaux 1794/Duguay-Trouin 1788, and Argonauta 1806/Heroe 1808 (Spanish).

32-guns Amazon Class Frigates - Fifth-rate, British ships with a main battery of 12-pounder guns, plus 18-pound carronades and 6-pounder guns in the quarterdeck and in the forecastle. The designed crew was of 220. This class comprised 18 ships. Versions featured in the ship packs: HMS Ambuscade/Le Succes 1801 (French), HMS Cleopatra 1779/HMS Iphigenia 1779, and HMS Orpheus 1780/HMS Amphion 1780.

74-guns Bellona/Elizabeth Class Ships-Of-The-Line - the British Bellona Class is considered a prototype for the iconic 74-gun ships of the latter part of the 18th century. It had a designed crew of 550 and was armed with 28 32-Pounder guns in the lower deck, 28 18-Pounder guns in the upper deck and 18 9-Pounder guns in the quarterdeck and in the forecastle. Versions featured in the ship packs: the French Berwick 1795 (former British HMS Berwik 1795)/Le Swiftsure 1801, HMS Bellona 1760/HMS Goliath 1781, and HMS Zealous 1785/HMS Superb 1760.

Series 2

40-guns Hebe Class Frigates - a class of six frigates of the French Navy, armed with 26 long 18-pounder guns (later increased to 28), 12 long 8-pounder guns and 4 36-pounder obusiers, and had a designated crew of 300. Versions featured in the ship packs: Carmagnole 1793/Sybille 1791, Proserpine 1785/Dryade 1783, HMS Sybille 1794/HMS Amelia 1796.

118-guns Ocèan Class Ships-of-the-Lines - a series of 16 first-rate ships-of-the-line of the French Navy, this 5,100 ton 118-gun type was the largest type of ship built up to then. Along with the 74-guns Téméraire type and the 80-gun Tonnant type, 120-gun type was to become one of the three French standard types of battleships during the war period 1793 to 1815. These were the most powerful ships of the Napoleonic Wars. Versions featured in the ship packs: Montagne 1793 (originally called “Océan)/Commerce de Marseille 1788, Orient 1791/Austerlitz 1808, and Impérial 1805/République Française 1802.

14-guns Swan Class Ship-Sloops - a class of 14-gun ship-sloops (even if in fact they mounted, after 1779, 16 guns), it they represented the 'standard' ship-sloop design of the British Navy during the American Revolutionary War, and 11 were lost at the conflict. Surviving vessels went on to serve during the French Revolutionary War and Napoleonic War. Versions featured in the ship packs: HMS Swan 1767/ HMS Fairy 1778, the French Aligator 1782 (originally the HMS Alligator)/ Le Fortune 1780, and Thorn (former HMS Thorn)/USS Atalanta 1781 (American).

100-guns First Rate Ships-of-the-Line - prestige ships of the British Navy were the three-deckers. Rarely commissioned in peace-time, and preserved with expensive overhauls and rebuilding, the few First Rates served as flagships, and they were the strongest units of the line of battle, even if they were very difficult to handle. Each 100-gun ship had an established complement of 850 men in addition to extras assigned when used as flagships. Versions featured in the ship packs: HMS Royal Sovereign 1786/HMS Britannia 1762, HMS Royal George 1788/HMS Hibernia 1804, and HMS Queen Charlotte/HMS Ville de Paris 1795.

Series 3

64-guns Artésien Class Ships-of-the-Line – this class included five French 3rd rate ships-of-the-line with a designed crew of 570-580 men. They were armed with 26 24–Pounder guns in the lower deck, 28 12–Pounder guns in the upperdeck, and 10 6–Pounder guns in the quarterdeck and the forecastle. Versions featured in the ship packs: Artesien 1765/Roland 1771, Protée 1772/Eveillè 1772, and HMS Protee 1780 (captured by Royal Navy)/HMS Argonaut 1782 (British Caton Class ship-of-the-line).

50-guns Portland Class Fourth Rates - a class of British 4th rate ships, with a designed crew of 350 men and armed with 22 24–Pounder guns in the lower deck, 22 12–Pounder guns in the upperdeck, 4 6–Pounder guns in the quarterdeck, and 2 6–Pounder guns in the forecastle. Versions featured in the ship packs: HMS Leander 1780/HMS Adamant 1780, HMS Leopard 1790/HMS Isis 1774, Petit Annibal 1782 (former HMS Hannibal)/Leander 1798.

112-guns Meregildos Class First Rates - Spanish first-rate ships-of-the-line, with a designed crew of about 1100 and armed with 30 36–Pounder guns in the lower deck, 32 24–Pounder guns in the middle deck, 32 12–Pounder guns in the upperdeck, and 18 8–Pounder guns in the quarterdeck and the forecastle. Versions featured in the ship packs: Santa Ana 1784/Mejicano 1786, Real Carlos 1787/Conde de Regla 1786, and Príncipe de Asturias 1794/San Hermenegildo 1789.

74-guns Nepomuceno/Bahama Ships-of-the-Line – this class of the Spanish Navy included ships-of-the-line with a designed crew of about 530, armed with 28 24–Pounder guns in the lower deck, 30 18–Pounder guns in the upperdeck, 8 12–Pounder guns in the quarterdeck, and 8 8–Pounder guns in the forecastle. Versions featured in the ship packs: San Juan Nepomuceno 1766/San Francisco de Asis 1767, San Agustín 1768/Bahama 1780, and Bahama1805/HMS San Juan 1805.

With all these ships, plus the HMS Victory and USS Constitution featured in the Special Ship Packs, Sails of Glory players have a lot of different options to build very different scenarios, and they can also find some additional resources at Sails of Glory downloads section, such as new scenarios, Captain and Crew Abilities Rules, and a Point Systems to create balanced scenarios and run tournaments.

Tags: Sails of Glory