[Jim McDougall]

Hi Capn,
Very good analogies! Nautical battles were indeed very much like chess, and the strategies and tactics very different than warfare on terra firma. Your description of these vessels as virtual fortresses is also spot on.

In much research on the firepower of vessels in 'the age of sail' there is so much fascinating attention the the 'guns', and things like the markings on them with weights and positioning on decks in addition to the foundry marks.
Positioning these guns was considerably based on weights in addition to strategic firing locations.
Capt. Broke was a brilliant tactician in the use of nautical firepower.

As the 'Bon Homme Richard' was mentioned, I hope I may bring up some information on that famed ship in this context without too much digression from this discourse.

With positioning of the ships, the Bon Homme Richard, in the Battle of Flamborough Head (off the coast of Yorkshire) on Sept. 23, 1779 was finally lashed to the British Serapis, a much larger and heavily armed ship of the line. While obviously this was to facilitate boarding, it also likely to relieve the heavy barrage of cannon fire.

At heavy cost of lives on both sides, Serapis finally surrendered. It was a Pyrrhic victory as the Bon Homme Richard was heavily damaged and on fire. John Paul Jones, aboard the captured Serapis (also heavily damaged) tried for 36 hours to save the Bon Homme Richard, but it finally sank.

The reason the final resting place of the 'Richard' remains unknown is because it is unclear how far these ships drifted from the battle location as the struggle to save them ensued. It seems the wreck may bed situated as far as 25 to 30 miles out, and the fishing vessels which often snag bits of debris or such clues typically are closer, so that often helpful option is not at hand.