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Ships of the line were the largest and most powerful wooden sailing vessels ever built. They formed the backbone of Europe’s great navies from the 17th to the mid-19th centuries. Ships of the line were named for the classic formation that these ships fought in. In battle, each side’s ships would approach the enemy in a line, as the opposing ships passed, each would let off a thundering broadside of cannon fire, doing horrific damage to the vessels and to those aboard her. Victory usually went to the side with the most cannon and the best-trained sailors. The English were masters at this form of warfare, and their ships of the line dominated the world’s oceans for more than a century.
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