Reading a new book, a passage on firepower in the 18th century struck a chord. I had previously noted that ships generally carried only enough crew to man one broadside at a time, and generally had just enough men to touch off the opposite guns if they were already pre loaded. This got me thinking about the way we merrily blat off with either broadside every second turn. Would it not be more realistic when using both broadsides in quick succession, after the first pre loaded volley, to insert an extra turn in loading like we do for double shot to allow for gun crew swapping sides of the deck to service the guns?
Rob.