Sate of naval warfare (2500 IC)

 

Ahoy there, mate

Naval warfare in the Warhammer world is in a state of flux. New tactics and technologies are making their way into fleets, but some navies stubbornly cling to the old ways. As a result, you can find Norscan longships going up against Tilean galleys and Elf raiders dueling with Imperial Wolfships.

Gunpowder artillery has long been used at sea, and it is hard to imagine a time without them. The Estalians like to claim they were the first to do so, but while they may have been the first to arm their Carracks and sail them around the world, the Tileans and Arabyans were already using cannon-armed galleys long before that.

That said, ships are not yet built big/stable enough, nor can heavy guns reliably be mounted low enough that naval vessels can truly benefit from massive broadside artillery. As a result, many naval fights are either inconclusive long-range artillery duels or they devolve into grappling and boarding. As a result, many ships still employ fore-and-aft castles and crow's nest firing platforms.

The use of such castles also permit more and heavier chasers and stern guns than would otherwise be possible. This is fortunate, as line abreast is the preferred way to approach the enemy, followed by either broadsides or boarding (or both). After which, a wild melee ensues. Unless you're an Elf admiral, that is - these guys have an uncanny ability to keep their fleets moving and fighting as one. Bastards.

The line ahead is sometimes used and can be very useful in certain situations, but ships lack the firepower, range, and accuracy to make it a primary tactic. 

Knarr: Small Norscan vessel. Essentially a small longship. Better suited for trade than war, but it can ravage a village or three in a pinch.

Longship: The iconic Norscan warship. Surprisingly seaworthy (if you can live with the fact that it looks like a big rowboat, not a real ship). Can travel up most rivers (even small ones) and even be dragged overland. Its main weakness is a lack of artillery (you could stick swivel-guns on it or maybe a light mortar, but nothing bigger) and a lack of fore-and-aft castles. Norscan raiders make up for it by sailing/rowing like mad, crashing into their opponent, and then boarding while chanting the Blood God's praise.

Drakkar: Oversized longship, comparable to a war galley, but built after the Norscan tradition. It can take some light guns and also have small castles, making it a better combatant. It loses some of the agility of the longship, however, and can't travel up minor rivers or be easily beached. Drakkars are relatively rare.

Cog: Smal-to-medium-sized trading vessels (typically around 100 tons, but bigger cogs exist). Cheap, can be operated by a small crew, and is quite seaworthy. AND a large hold to boot! What's not to like? It can be armed, but not enough to matter in a battle, plus the ship is not very sturdy.

Other cultures have different trading vessels. The Tileans still use caravels, the Arabyans xebecs, and so forth. For most purposes, they fulfill the same function as the cog, with mostly the same capabilities, just optimized for local conditions. 

Wargalley: These 200-300 ton vessels make up the bulk of. They are gun-armed, typically with a very heavy centerpiece and a pair (or two pairs) of lighter guns. Broadside guns are carried fore and aft (as they would otherwise interfere with the oars) but are light and few in number. Some war galleys carry rams, but with the rise of cannon, it's more popular to do without to cram in more forward-firing guns. While galleys are more common in the South, galleys can be found in the Sea of Claws as well, although they usually stick close to shore and do not operate in autumn and winter.

Galleass: The 400+ ton vessels are oversized galleys with multiple sails and many oars. They are less fast under oars but are more seaworthy and surprisingly quick under sail. Galleases have more pronounced fore-and-aft castles than war galleys, making them excellent fighting platforms. They also carry more and heavier guns (some of the heaviest cannons and mortars afloat are mounted on galleases), and some have significant broadsides. Drawbacks are high cost to maintain (because of all the rowers) and poor range (poor cargo capacity).

Wolfship: Typically found only in the Sea of Claws (it's an Imperial vessel), the wolfship combined the traits of carracks and galleasses. Oar propulsion is secondary, mostly for navigating restricted waters or rivers. Like galleases, they are somewhat costly to maintain on account of large crews but have better seaworthiness and better range (optimized for the distances and weather in the Sea of Claws). 

Few ship types exemplify the times better than the wolfship. It's based on two old designs (galleass and carrack), but it's uniquely designed for a specific role. It is primarily a sailing ship, but it can be rowed if needed. It's seaworthy enough to go onto the high seas (maybe not to Lustria or Cathay, but still) but can also navigate most major rivers. It carries a decent broadside but is best used line abreast and has fore-and-aft castles tall enough to be good fighting platforms (and also house many chasers and stern guns). Drawbacks include the complexity of manufacture, high maintenance, and lack of cargo capacity.

Carrack: Originally an Estalian design, with roots running centuries back. Current carracks are on the large side, are quite seaworthy, and have good cargo capacity. Can be well-armed without compromising cargo. Carracks that are purpose-built for war or converted for military use can be formidable opponents, able to duel with anything short of gallons or great ships. The carrack is, despite the age of the original design, one of the most flexible and powerful ships afloat.

Galleon: Bretonnian evolution of the Carrack. Comparable to the Great Ship, but somewhat smaller and more agile. Being bigger, these ships have room for more broadside guns, but since broadsides aren't that effective, galleons aren't that much more powerful than carracks. They are, however, more seaworthy and can carry huge cargoes, enabling them to reach most parts of the world.

Great Ships (Marineburg: Grootschip, Empire: Grosschiff): The Marienburg equivalent to the galleon (the Empire insists it invented the Great Ship, but being a mostly landlocked nation, this claim is rather preposterous). Extremely sturdy and seaworthy, but a bit cumbersome. Heavy broadsides, but also has large fore-and-aft castles and multiple chase/stern guns. All Empire Great Ships are moored in Altdorf as part of the High Seas Fleet (soon to be called the First Fleet). Marienburg grootschips are instead traveling across the world, gathering wealth and knowledge.

Elf ships: Elven (both Ulthuan and Naggaroth) operate a variety of vessels, both for trade and war (the distinction is that trading ships can fight, but warships are purpose-built for war only). Elven ships are unnaturally swift and maneuverable and highly seaworthy (it's almost as if magic was used in their construction). Elves do not use anything as crude as cannons. Instead, they employ quick-firing missile weapons that quickly clear the decks of enemy ships, allowing elf marines to board unopposed. If anyone sticks their head up, elven archers/crossbowmen lurking in the mast tops quickly make them regret their courage. In addition, elven ships have access to magic and sometimes even aerial support!

Other races and ships: A few dwarf holds maintain fleets of war galleys and/or trading vessels, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Greenskins sometimes take to the sea, but only for a specific Waagh! The odd undead ship has been reported, but those are few and far between. Skaven fears the open sea, and no one has seen a lizardman aboard anything bigger than a canoe.