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Man of War – DOS Manual – English

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THE HISTORY OF THE AGE OF FIGHTING SAIL .

GAME INTRODUCTION .
.

INSTALLING THE GAME.

MAIN MENU.

OPTIONS MENU .

SAVING AND LOADING GAME FILES .

RESOLUTION OPTIONS . . .
NEW SCENARIO .
DOCTRINE.
ORDERS

SCENARIO EDITOR .

3D RESOLUTION PHASE

WINNING THE GAME.

MULTIPLAYER MODE.

THE CAMPAIGN .

TROUBLESHOOTING .

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

..
.

77
78

THE AGE OF FIGHTING SAIL

THE HISTORY

Billowing sails; tall stately masts serenely silhouetted against the
horizon. The Man-of—War, the ship which dominated the Age of
Sail, has long evoked romantic images of the distant past. But the
Man—of-War was not built with romantic images in mind. It was
built for a very practical purpose, namely, to enhance the wealth of
and commerce. “To
a nation by opening up the sea lanes to trade
be masters of the Marine Power is to be masters of all the Power
and Commerce in Europe", wrote Daniel Defoe in the early l700‘s
(l). A strong fleet of warships assured mastery of the seas which
guaranteed free passage of goods across the oceans. Such a ?eet
colonies,
was also instrumental in the acquisition and defence of
since it
policy,
economic
eighteenth
the
century
key aspects of
could assist remote land campaigns by transporting large numbers
of troops over long distances. In short, national pride and power
it
were closely bound to the state of the navy. And so was on and
seeuworthiness that empires were built during the eighteenth
nineteenth centuries.

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The Man-of-War
Over 200 feet in length and 50 in beam, the Man—of—War was
remarkably efficient and durable. It was designed to spend long
periods at sea searching for enemy ves Is as well as escorting
commercial convoys to distant destinations. In fact the greatest
advantages of the sailing warship were its almost unlimited
endurance and its self-sufficiency. With wind as its source of
power, the Man-of-War did not have to put to shore to refuel.
Having doubled in size since the preceding century. the hull of the
eighteenth century Man-of~War could carry supplies to last many
months for the 600 to 850 crew aboard. Resupply ships would be
sent to restock the Man—of-War with food and water, allowing the
ships to remain at sea often for months and sometimes years. The
British Admiral Nelson, for example. was renowned for having
spent two years on blockade without once setting foot off his ship.
Moreover, repairs could be carried out at sea even after battle.
Since warships were made of wood, they rarely sank. Damaged
masts could often be mended by the crew, while holes were
plugged and more general repairs were made by the carpenters on
board. Finally, technological advances increased the Man~of—
War’s independence. An accurate clironometer which measured
longittide at sea, was invented during the 1760's. Used until the
advent of radio. this piece of equipment kept the admirals accu—
rately informed of their position and. consequently, extended the
length of time ships could safely remain at sea.
In terms of their classification, warships of twenty guns or more
were divided into six “rates”. The rates were defined by the length,
beam and tonnage of the vessel and by the number of guns aboard.
The first rates had 100 guns or_ more; the second rates, 84 to 100
guns; the third rates, 70 to 84 guns; the fourth rates 50 to 70 guns:
the ?fth rates, 32 to 50 guns; and, the sixth rates, 2 to 32 guns.
Usually only the first three classes of warships participated in
main fleet actions. These Men-of-War were considered “ships-of—
the-line” so—called because of the bow—to-stern, line—ahead formae
tion they assumed during battle ~ a formation that allowed effective

broadside gunnery as ships passed by each other in pai’?llel‘li:die[s.
The faster fifth and sixth raters or trigates were gener?tv y usfe $011
gather and convey intelligence while the fourth rate s ips, o w fr
few were built, participated in battle only occasionally as part o
the smaller fleets.

Line-ahead formation
Life Aboard a Man-of-War
If our image of the Mm-of—War, at peace or in battle is romanttc,
the reality of life on such a vessel was quite different.
Overcrowded. damp and unsanitary, the ships were rife with disease and vennin. Malnutrition was not uncommon on long voyages Most of the crew were quartered and worked on the lower
decks, rarely glirnpsing the light of day. Equally deslmctlve we
morale was the oveiwhelining boredom. The huge crews Wer
really only needed during battle and to carry out repairs.
I
Unengaged, the crew had little to do. And engagerpents “age
sail
would
in
sometimes
or mont s in
often long
coming; tlcets
and
training were necessary
search of an enemy. Strict discipline
to keep the crews in order. It is not surprising then that while there
ship, up to
were 3 number of willing and able volunteers on each
example,
not
ships,
for
were
one half the crew on British
I

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there by choice. Some were “pressed into service”, a policy
introduced in England during the late l300’s. That is they were
{Punded up of streets and in pubstaken against their will by
press~garigs and forced to serve in the Royal Navy. Others were
known as quota men _. These “quota men” were a mixed group
that ranged from criminals compelled to join the navy by magistrates to educated "professionals" such as lawyers and teachers
who found their way out of debtors’ prison by servino in the
°
'
Royal Navy.
By 1797 morale in the Royal Navy hit a low point. Apart from the
poor living conditions, wages for the crewinen had not increased in
over a dcentlury, despite significant inflationover the years. It
seenie on y fair to the crew that they be fairly compensated for
their efforts, since the defence of Britain depended to a large exiem
0“ ‘he “WY and Sl?ce lift! 0H the high seas was so dangerous. Their
?pnepntent culminated in 1797 with mutinies at Spithead and the

The Man-of-War in Battle
Despite the fact that a fair number of crewmen served on board
against their will, they pulled together to transform their ship into
a‘mighty war machine once the signal to prepare for battle was
given. Within minutes decks were cleared, goods stowed and guns
readied._ Once in battle the offensive power of the MarH,f,wa,- was
impressive. Admiral Nelson’s Trafalgar ?eet of twenty—seven ships
included 2232 guns which could tire shot weighing between twelve
to sixty—eight pounds. Despite the awkwardness of working the
heavy guns on rolling seas, gun crews, especially those of the
Royal Navy. were very efficient. Using ropes, pulleys. wedges,
han?ispikes and the like to control guns weighing up to four tons, it
too a i€d1T1.DfSt)‘( to fifteen crew only two to five minutes, depending on the size of the artillery, to clean, load, aim and fire a cannon.
The British crew were also trained to tire accurately and quickly
While the massive broadside with all guns blaLing was the

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preferred technique, it was difficult to maintain and strained the
timbers. As an altemative, the British gunners developed the technique of “ripple-fire” or firing each gun on deck in rapid succession
in order to sustain an assault.
Although naval artillery had changed little in some two hundred
the end of the
years, there were several notable advances toward
l700"s: recoil absorption was refined and the effective range of
well, fliritlocks were adapted
guns increased to about one mile. As
slowto fire guns on ships. These ?intlocks replaced the linstock,
Most
and
accurate.
easier
firing
and
fuses,
more
making
matches
importantly, the introduction of the "'earronade"', a short-barrelled
advantage in close—
grin of large calibre, wave the British a decided
sonnetiines called, weighed
range firing. The “smasher”, as it was
could fire a sixty—eight
twelve—pounderbut
less than a normal
pound shot. Since the heavy ball was too difficult to handle, the
carronade tended to be loaded with hollow shot which broke up
when it went through the side of a ship causing wood and iron to
splinter, seriously damaging the enemy ship and sending its crew
scattering in order to avoid injury. This gun suited the British who
preferred to fight up close at ranges of one hundred to two hundred
yards or less. It was less useful to the French who tended to maintain a fair distance between ships during battle.
Considering the proximity of the ships and the large numbers of
Man»of»War battle
crew and artillery, it is not difficult to imagine a
deafening
thundering
scene. Ships passed alongside each other
smoke,
blasting
enemy
broadsides, filling the air with blinding
ships, killing and maiming the enemy. In the event of a boarding,
usually a brief but always a bloody event, sailors were arrried with a
variety of weapons such as cutlasses, pistols, muskets, pikes and
hatehets. To prevent boarding, the Man-of-War was fitted with
boarding nets, spikes and swivels. Upper deck crewmen were
issued all manner of pikes and poles with which to spear intruders
as they tried to cut their way out of the nets. According to one
author the sea battle “was a horror unsurpassed by modern machine
warfare. The compulsion of commanders was to bring the big

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¥E°den5h1i_P5 PhY5i<33-Uy together. forming compact butcher shops.

who were able to overcome the limitations of what had become an
unduly rigid line-ahead battle formation by introducing innovative,
effective strategies. In addition, unlike France whose navy derived
principally from the aristocracy, the British developed a professional navy, a navy in which admirals and captains had seniority and
officers.
were not likely to be challenged by junior

Anglo-French Naval Rivalry

But it was, perhaps, the fundamental difference in French and
British perceptions of the role of the navy which most in?uenced
their respective strategies and ultimately decided their fates.
During the late 1700’s France won most of her land battles but only
flects was to
a few naval engagements. The purpose of the French
They were
shore.
and
armies
support wars on
escort convoys, land
all-otit
avoid
objective
but
to
strategic
sea
instructed to pursue a
could
ships
which
their
in
forces
battles against equal or stronger
be seriously damaged. As a result the French tended to tire high to
disable the enemy’s rigging and then leave the scene, rarely pursuing a ?ght to the ?nish. The British, on the other hand, were far
While they used their
more aggressive in the use of their navy.
the
French, their ?eets were
ships for purposes similar to those of
fight
and
them at any odds. Their
ordered to seek out enemy fleets
hull
of an enemy ship in an
preferred stratagem was to hit the
force the striking of colors.
and
attempt to destroy the gun batteries
The British tactics led to considerable success: between l793 and
destroyed over lll4 enemy ships
l8l4, the Royal Navy captured or
including 207 ships-otlthe-line. The traditional French policy lasted
it
until Napoleon decided to change it just before Trafalgar. By then
naval
British
supremacy
was too late. Nelson's victory established
for the next century. So it was that Britain, at the turn of the
nineteenth century became the greatest naval power the world had
CV81” seen.

e grapp ing of two matchcd warships was like a collision of
overcrowded poorhouses, whose lousy, half-starved and drooling
inmates fired cannons point-blank... at each other. Men literally
shot each other to pieces and saw the pieces.” (2)

By 1115 m_id-1700's a number of nations had navies designed to augment their commercial ventures. The longstanding maritime powers
of Portugal, Spain, and Holland whose navies had reached their
:}€£l1:ht
in anyearkllier age. still maintained significant numbers of warthePma<i>nS€fVtet eir commercial and colonial interests. However,
fm aFg0n1st;at the height of the Age of Sail were Britain
and France. rornt c late 1600 s to Napoleon's defeat in 1814,
these two rivals battled for supremacy in Europe Continental North
I1§me1‘l<><’i.
the Caribbean, Egypt and India. Despite the ambitions of
particularly
under Napoleon, Britain emerged as the
rance,
unquestioned sea power by the early l800’s. British mastery of the
:}eze1sBcrzi1Ene1about foria
number of reasons. The effective training of
advances in weaponry have
technological
is crew an
a_ ‘$343’ been mentioned. The
British also made important innovations in the area of communications. To ensure co-ordination of tactical manoeuvres between an admiral and his captains a new sysEjill ‘gibélg??ls Was Introduced in the l780_’s and fully refined by the
e C?nlléfy. Apart from technological innovations, two other
facm
dlrs separate the Royal Navy from its rivals - the role of its
1
I
ea mg officers and the British vision of the nature of the navy.
1

‘

E15 ifnpafg Of a professional, talented leadership within the Royal
Aéciivy s 10 )cers corps cannot be overestimated. Despite the
tmra ty s reluctance to modify the formal Rules of Engagement
which dated from the mid-l600‘s, imaginative commanders
emerged
‘

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Historical Background

The battles presented in MAN OF WAR are based on actual battlesi
of the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary
the Napoleonic Wars, roughly covering the period I776

laild

1. American War of Independence

During the American War of Independence. l776—I783, Britain
found herself at war not only with the Thirteen Colonies, but with
most of Europe as. well.I France‘s humiliating defeat during the
Seven Years War_in_which she lost most of her North American
possessions to Britain, inspired a naval renaissance in an effort to
reclaim her former naval status. Having invested heavily in her
Xivy and officer corps during the 1760’s and 7t)’s, France saw the
rnerican war of independence asan opportunity to defeat the
British. Spain, which had also suffered the loss of colonies as a
result of the _Seven Years’ War, was brought into the struggle
against Britzun with the promise of Gibraltar among other pieces of
British territory. The Dutch, who had strong Republican sympa.
thies, supported the American movement for Independence from
the British crown. At the same time, the “anned neutrality at sea”,
an idea promoted by Russia and supported by Sweden and
Denmark (I780), Aiis_tria and Prussia (1782), and Portugal (I783)
wasla reaction to British strong—arm tactics of boarding ships and
seizing goods declared “contraband” from neutral countries. This
British policy engendered hostility from those whose ships she
boarded. With few friends to support her, Britain stood quite alone.
France providedthe Americans with the most support both on land
and at sea. In effect, the American War of Independence represents
a high point in French naval operations. For example, the French
gave the British Admiralty a lesson in naval tactics at Ushant
(1778)1; effectively harassed the British in the Indian Ocean on
SSVSILI

occasions including an engagement at Sadras (I782): anti, their
actions at Chesapeake Bay (1781) were instruinental in the British
surrender at Yorktown.
Clearly the British navy was stretched to its limits during this period. It had to protect extensive trade routes and ensure the security
of overseas possessions as well as provide support and reinforceYet they
ments to the British military campaign in North America.
set—backs.
The
aboveinentioned
the
did manage to recover from
attack
Saintes
(I782) preempted an
on
British victory at the
Britain"s possessions in the Caribbean and helped to maintain her
influence in that arena. By the end of the American War of
Independence, the French not only failed to acquire any significant
territory, but found that their costly participation in American
affairs left them virtually bankrupt. The empty treasury was one of
the main causes of the French Revolution of 1789. With no money
available, the French navy deteriorated - ships rotted and crews
became mutinous.
2. French

Revolutionary Wars

By the time Britain and Europe became embroiled in the French
Revolutionary Wars (1792-1799), Frances navy was not only in
serious disrepair, but many of the best French naval officers had
been exiled or executed and replaced by inexperiencedjuniors. The
French Revolution and its rallying cry, “Liberty, Equality,
Fraternity” alarmed conservative governments throughout Europe,
particularly as the Revolution and its leadership became more radical and passed profound social refoims which threatened the status
execution of Louis XVI and
quo elsewhere. However, it was the
the triumph of republieanism that most worried the British govern1793 the First
ment and the traditional European monarchies. In
Coalition which included Britain, Spain. Holland was formed
against France. But this alliance was short-lived. One by one its
members were either defeated by France or returned to older
alliances. Holland was overrun by the French in I795 and Spain

allied with France the following year thereby giving France access
to the Dutch ?eet in the North and the Spanish fleet in the
Mediterranean. Further attempts by Britain to ally with European
powers to stop the French also ended in failure. Once again Britain
was forced to stretch her naval resources to their limit. And she did
so with considerable success. While France was highly successful
in her land battles. the British ?eet kept the French from reinforcing their colonial garrisons. In 1797. Jervis and Nelson defeated a
much larger Spanish fleet at Cape St. Vincent: later that year the
British effectively blockaded French ports. Moreover. Nelson
foiled Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign of l798—l 799 which was an
effort to cut the British off from her possessions in the East lndies.
3. Napoleonic Wars
With Napoleon in power (1799-1814). the Anglo-French naval
rivalry peaked. Napoleons options, as far as he was concerned,
were quite clear: “Either our government must destroy the English
Monarchy." wrote the Emperor. “or must expect itself to be
destroyed... Let us concentrate all our activity upon the navy and
destroy England. That done. Europe is at our feet” (3).
Unfortunately, Napoleon’s genius for land battles did not extend to
his naval tactics which were generally ineffective against the
Royal Navy. The defeat at Trafalgar put an end to any ideas of
invading England and guaranteed British domination of the sea.

Trafalgar, San Domingo and Lissa. The following is a brief synop—
sis of each of these engagements. It is important to note that the
actual number of ships involved sometimes varies from one historical account to another.

Ushant - July 28. 1778
On July 28. 1778. ?ve months after the French entered the
American War of independence on the side ofthe American
colonies. the French and the British clashed off the coast of Ushant.
100 miles west of France. The British were led by Admiral. the
Honorable Augustus Keppel. the tradition-bound commander of the
Channel Fleet at the time. Heading the_French fleet was the Comte
D‘0rvilliers. a wily a.nd cunning tactician.

In the early summer of 1778. Admiral Keppel. was given_two
assignments. The ?rst. a defensive measure. was to put his fleet of
30 ships between the French fleet and its Spanish allies at Cadiz. in
order to impede joint Franco-Spanish actions. The second was to
watch for and escort a British convoy carrying a rich cargo of tea.
porcelain and silk from the East Indies. On July 8. 1778. the
Comte D'Orvilliers. aware of this convoy,_set sail from the port of
Brest with 32 ships intending to intercept it. For two weeks the two
?eets cruised the seas south of England and west of France both
looking for the same convoy but apparently unaware of each
_

‘

MAN OF WAR Battle Scenarios
Five of the Naval battles presented in this game are based on bat—
tles fought during the American War of independence: Ushant.
Dogger Bank, Chesapeake. Sadras and. the Saintes. The Glorious
First of June. Cape St. Vincent and Camperdown are considered
part of the French Revolutionary Wars, The naval battles which
occurred during the Napoleonic period include Cabrita Point.

other’s position. Keppel spotted the French on theattemoon ot July
23. 100 miles off the coast of Ushant. With the wind to his advan~
the next day. Keppel.
[age he prepared to engage D‘0rvilliers
however. was dealing with a very shrewd tactician. Under cover of
darkness. D'Orvillicrs had sailed his ?eet upwind of the British.
thereby gaining the windward advantage. Although this manoeuver
placed the British between the French and the French coast,
D‘Orvilliers calculated the advantages of such a move outweighed
the risks.
_

‘I’

For three days, D'Orvilliers maintained his advantage. On the third
day a sudden squall caught the British by surprise. Blinded by
sheets of rain and tossed about on the raging sea. Keppel could do
little until the storm passed. When it finally blew over. Keppel saw
the entire French ?eet heading straight toward him. D'0rvilliers
had seen the squall coming and had ordered his ?eet to sail in an
easterly direction. toward France. Steering directly toward Keppcl
he attempted a new “hit and run“ tactic. The object of this tactic
was to rake the enemy sails and rigging and then race away
either to prepare for a second quick strike or to run. Either way.
the "hit and run" was intended to avoid a potentially harmful headoti battle. yet inflict signi?cant damage to the enemy ships. The
tactic. however. depended on speed and therefore. a good wind.
Unfortunately for D‘Orvilliers. the wind died down slowing the
movement of the two ?eets and weakening the effectiveness of
his strategy. The brief engagement that followed ended in the early
afternoon causing some damage to both sides. but did not have the
impact that D‘Orvilliers had anticipated. Both the French and
British reformed shortly after. Keppel. though. would not re—
engage tintil all of his ships were in the traditional lirle-ahead formation. However, three ships in the rear. needing emergency repair
could not join the line, It was dusk before these vessels were able
to join the fleet. too late to continue battle on that day.

€‘i”M@‘@0
the three ships or attacked immediately without them. He wag
court-martialled and acquitted. becoming a popular hero in t e
vessels.
process. The commander of one of the three damaged
fleet
the
attack
until
refusal
entire
was in
questioned l(eppel‘s
to
failing
support
to
for
criticized
himself
roundlv
but
formationThe was
surrounding
Battle
of
the
the
of
Keppel.
outcome
controversy
Ushzint highlighted the consequences of strict adherence to ttpeh
traditional battle line. Many officers in the Royal navy realize t at
the line-ahead formation was not an effective defence against the
French tactic of "hit and run". However. the Royal Navy was not
yet ready to rethink its tactical approach to battle. Fortunately for
the British. new leaders such as Horatio Nelson. Samuel Hood and
John Jervis to name but a few. appeared on the horizon. prepared
to breathe new life into the rules of naval engagement and effectively challenge the “tyranny of the litie
.

Dagger Bank - August 5, 1781

Next morning Keppel awoke to find that D‘Orvilliers had outs'n1arl~
ed him once again. During the night the French Admiral had left
three ships in the area with lanterns lit to indicate the presence of
the French ?eet. Meanwhile he casually sailed the bulk of his ?eet
hack to France. So ended the first Anglo-French naval action of
the American War of Independence.

As soon as the Dutch Government officially recognized American
lndependeiice in l780. the British declared war on Holland. The
fact that the two countries were at war weighed heavily on the
British ?eet since the Royal Navy’ was new forced to patrol the
North Sea. further stretching the limits of its already over-extended
the
resources. The Battle of Dogger Bank. named after the area of
only
battle
it
toolcplacel. was the
North Sea near Holland where
between the British and the Dutch during this period. It is re_n_iem~
bered as one of the last battles fought exclusively on the traditional
rules of engagement.

As a naval confrontation. Ushant was a draw. The French sustained
some 750 casualties and the British 500. The real importance of
this battle for the British was a lesson in naval tactics. By refusing
to attack the enemy in anything other than the unbreakable line formation. Kcppel had allowed D‘Orvilliei's to escape. Once back in
England. debate raged over whether Keppel should have waited foi

The battle came about as Sir Hyde Parker and his fleet oflseven
warships and six frigates were esconing some 200 merchantmen
from the Baltic back to England. On August 5. 1781 he sighted a
Dutch squadron of similar size under the command of Admiral
Johan Zoutman escorting a Dutch convoy to the Baltic. Upon spot—
ting the Dutch. Parker ordered the merchantmcn to continue on to

9/’
England while he attacked Zoutman"s fleet. Evenly matched, both
sides formed well-ordered lines of battle. Each ship held its position; the Dutch withheld their fire until the British were in their
proper places. Only then did the two sides pound one another in an
action that ended in a standoff some three hours after it had begun
with both sides suffering heavy losses. The Dutch recorded 142
men killed and 403 wounded while the British claimed I09 dead
and 362 wounded. Despite his battered ships, Zoutrnan managed to
escort his convoy back to Holland. Parker's squadron, badly damaged, was unable to pursue them. In proportion to the number of
troops engaged, British casualties were greater than those of any of
the battles with the French during this period of war. Parker, for his
part, was extremely upset with t_he Admiralty for dispatching him
with what he believed to be an inadequate force. He subsequently
resigned his commission.

€‘!*%‘@‘%0
Independence including Ushant. While anchored at San Domingo
in
in the West Indies, De Grasse received news of the situation
to_ decide
Grasse
De
left
and
Washington
America. Rochambeau
how the naval forces could best reinforce the land operations.
prin-

De Grasse had to choose whether to head for New York, the
ciple British base, or to sail to Hampton Roads at the mouth of the
Chesapeake where the British army was headed. Since the French
Govemment had previously refused to support a formal siege at
New York, De Grasse chose to sail to Hampton Roads. He set out
his ?eet leeward to the Bahamas
on a little used course which took
and up the coast of the mainland.
Admiral
At the same time, a British ?eet under the command of
the
along
eastern
Grasse
De
for
Samuel Hood had been searching
still
while
De
moving
up the
Grasse was
seaboard. On August 25,

French,
coast, Hood arrived at Hampton Roads. Not seeing the
days
Five
York.
toward
New
Hood continued north up the coast
and
the
Virg1niaVCapes
south
from
later De Grasse arrived at the
ashoreand
sent
two
anchored in Lynnhaven Bay. He put his troops
French
Meanwhile
York
rivers.
ships to blockade the James and
reinforcements were sailing from Newport, Rhode Island and
moving toward the
troops under Washington and Rocliarnbeau were
and
land
sea forces were
Chesapeake. In short, Franco—American
hemmed
in at
converging upon Coniwallis who was now
Yorktown.
Y

Chesapeake Bay -September 5, 1781
The naval action which took place in Chesapeake Bay on
September 5, 1781 marked an important turning point in the
American War of Independence. Support from Washington’s
French allies on land and particularly at sea helped the Americans
contain the British at Yorktown and provided much needed impetus
for their cause. By May 1780, the American land forces were seriously demoralized by the loss of Charleston, South Carolina as well
as the defection of General Arnold to the British who held nearly
all the bases on the eastern seaboard. Washingtonhad only 1000
troops to stave off Cornwallis’ n‘oops who were advancing on
Virginia and moving toward Chesapeake Bay. Both he and his
French allies. under the command of the Comte de Roehambeau
were desperately in need of reinforcements and tumed to the
French navy for much needed support. The French fleet in America
was commanded by Admiral De Grasse, an officer of great distinc»
tion who had served in several battles of the American War of

While in New York, Hood joined forces with Admiral Graves, a
senior officer who became commander of the British tleet. Toget her
Graves and Hood sailed south to intercept De Grasses reinforcesails as they
ments and assist Cornwallis. Spotting a few suspicious
expected
and
to find
Hood
approached the Chesapeake, Graves
into De
some French reinforcements. They did not expect to run
Grasse and his entire ?eet.

WQWO
The French too, were caught off-guard. On the morning of
September 5, 1781, De Grasse did not expect to see twentv-seven
enemy vessels of which nineteen were Men-of-War. In a mad
scramble the French fleet put out to sea. As luck would have it,
Graves was an unimaginative tactician and allowed the French to
clear the Bay, move out to sea and get into proper formation before
beginning his assault. The British had the windward advantage and_
ails Hlood
suggested, could have attacked each enemy ship as it came
yb
tzgcking
show
out of the Bay, thereby destroying the French lead
the
rest of the French squadron could get out. But
Eips e ore
raves was a formalist who believed in the established rules of
engagement and regular line battles. And so De Grasse knew exactly what to expect. Had Hood’s ideas prevailed, the outcome of this
battle might have been very different.
Q3C:.1(U)3eb§§1'sif.I'lh30ITOUII‘

in tligaftemoonvand continued for about two
reclérj I1(’jImI—6I iate success went to the _British, but the
French Soon
ere
owever, De Grasse was still to the lee’
W.ar d and was unable‘
to pursue his advantage. Graves refused to
risk re-engagement since a number of his ships were disabled. He
withdrew, deciding against an alternate strategy put forward by
Hood which had been successfully employed against De Grasge in
a previous battle.

€19/@4@0
De G1'asse’s reinforcements did, in fact. reach the Chesapeake,
bringing to thirty-six the number of warships under his command, a
sizable force able to withstand further naval offensives. Free from
naval threats, Washington and Roehanibeau tightened their grip on
Yorktown. Cornwallis capitulated on October I9, 1781. By gaining
control of the sea at the right moment De Grasse contributed greatly to the ultimate victory of the American coloni s. Wrote one
British historian, “ it was not the Declaration of Independence that
brought the United States into being... It was the Battle of
Chesapeake Bay which decided the final issue of the war, crowned
the work of Washington, and reduced to ashes our grandiose ambition to keep North America under the crown" (4 ). An exaggeration.......perhaps. Yet victory at Chesapeake no doubt provided the
Americans with an advantage over their adversaries at a critical
moment.

For five days the two squadrons remained in sight of one another
When the wind shifted, De Grasse, convinced that the reinforcements had reached the Chesapeake safely, returned to his anchorage. So concluded the battle at Chesapeake Bay. The French reported 320 Casualties and the British. 336. The latter. however suffered
far more damage to their ships. While only two French ships were
incapacitated, tive British ships' were rendered unfit and one was
burned.

Sadras - February 17, 1782
Sadras was the first in a series of battles between the French and
the English for control of the East Indies. Far from the main theatres of battle during the American War of Independence, Sadras
in North America. The
was, nonetheless, directly related to events
subsequently surrenand
having
British, having lost at Chesapeake
defend
their possessions
to
dered at Yorktown, were determined
elsewhere.
Admiral Sir Edward Hughes had been appointed to command the
British ?eet in the East Indies in 1779. After several British military successes against the French and the Dutch, the French became
India. Once
ever more determined to drive the British out of
became comBritish,
the
France
Holland joined the alliance against
included the
These
possessions.
mitted to defending Dutch overseas
in the
links
important
Cape of Good Hope and Trincomalee, both
Ocean
Indian
their
reinforced
route to India. The French, therefore,
British
the
When
D‘Orves.
the
Comte
Fleet under the command of

€‘?%@‘t@0
fleet designated to watch the French ports was dispatched to relieve
the siege at Gibraltar, a squadron of five ships was able to leave
Brest for the Indian Ocean under one of France’s most able naval
commanders, Pierre Andre de Suffren, Bailiff of Malta.
Early in 1781, the British decided to strengthen their lines of communication with Iiidia by seizing the Dutch colony at the Cape of
Good Hope. A squadron of five ships was sent to take the colony
and then move on to augment Hughes’ small ?eet. When word
arrived that Suffren was headed toward the Cape, this squadron
was ordered to intercept the French commander. The two ?eets
met on April 16, l781. In a brief battle Suffren defeated the British
expedition. He arrived in the Indian Ocean and anchored off
Madras in February, 1782. Immediately before his arrival, the
Comte D’Orves died, leaving Suffren in charge of France’s East
Indian fleet, Once in command, Suffren decided to land at Mysore
and retake Trincnmalee strategically important to controlling the

Sadras.
to Madras to re?t his ships. Despite the outcome of
the
French
Sighting
defeat.
once again,
Hughes refused to concede
17_82, Hughes
April
Providien
off
on
ll,
this time to the windward
prepared for a second engagement with Suffren. This time Sutfren
did not attempt tactics unfamiliar to his captains. The battle which
ensued appeared to be a draw, but in fact, Hughes’ ships sustained
anchor at Trineonialee
so much damage that his ?eet was forced to Suffren freely
Meanwhile
repairs.
for six weeks to carry out
cruised around Ceylon, assisting French convoys and transports
through the area and harassing British convoys and transports.
able
Without a British fleet to patrol, the Sultan of Cuddalorewas
ships
Hughes
Once
British.
were
to retake his territory from the
Suffren on several more occ_a_once again sea—worthy he engaged
sions. But none of these encounters were decisive. Both the British
and the French maintained a presence in India for some time.
_

—

Indian Ocean.
The British fleet of nine ships and the French fleet of twelve spot»
ted each other on the morning of February 17, 1782 off the coast of
Sadras. Hughes tried to position his line so that he would be able
to attack from the windward when the afternoon winds rose.
Suffren. however. did not allow the British the luxury of this
advantage and attacked before the British were able to form their
line. The three leading British ships were downwind and had difti~
culty getting into action. Employing unorthodox strategy, Suffren
ordered his rear ships to run up the leeward side of the British rear
and double on them. However. his captains, not und
nding
these instructions were Ltnable to carry out his plan. Disappointed
with the outcome of the engagement, Suffr'en believed that he could
have destroyed the British squadron if his captains had followed his
orders, instead of simply damaging two enemy vessels.

The Saintes - April 12, 1782
the
“It is easier to reach the summit of power than to stay there. If
of
surrender
the
ended
with
War of American Independence had
Yorktown, the French navy would have emerged from the conflict
triumphant all along the line “(5). But France and Spain, seeking
the British, per sted in
revenge for past defeats at the hands of
the
their efforts to seize enemy territory. And so, while tightingAtlantic,
South
and
French in the Indian Ocean as well as the North
the overexterided Royal Navy was forced to defend British interests
in the Caribbean. The Battle ot the Saintes was fought off the coast
of a small group of islands that lie between Dominica and
Guadaloupe. Following on the heels of the debacle at Cliesapeake
demon—
Bay. the “Moonlight Battle”, as the Saintes became known,
force.
strated that Britain still had a formidable fighting

After the Battle of Sadras, both sides withdrew. Suffrcn sailed
south and cruised off the shore of Trincoinalec while Hughes went

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After his success at Chesapeake Bay, the triumphant Admiral De
Grasse returned to the West Indies and landed his troops at St.
Kitts. He was followed by Admiral Samuel Hood who, having
sailed to Antigua after Chesapeake, moved on to St.Kitts to join
forces with Admiral Rodney. Rodney returned to England leaving
Hood to keep De Grasse pinned down until he was able to return to
the West Indies with a fresh ?eet. Early in l782 Rodney returned to
the Caribbean with thirty-six ships—of—the—line. With his thiI‘ty—0ne
ships and crew worn out from the engagement at Chesapeake Bay,
De Grasse tried to delay a confrontation with the British until he
could join with 15 Spanish ships in the area. But the British had
received word that De Grasse was planning an attack on Jamaica.
Rodney, his fresh ships armed with the new carronade, an improved
short—range gun, was determined to ?ght the tired French.
On April 8, De Grasse tried to slip past Hood and Rodney.
However, the British would not let De Grasse elude them. Late on
April ll, the two ?eets were close enough for Rodney to form a
line of battle. He held off until daylight. On the morning of April
12 a sudden shift in the wind threw the French ?eet into confusion.
In the chaos that followed, Admiral Rodney broke through the
French line followed by two of his ships and then the entire British
rearguard. Moving out of line formation to cut across the enemy
line was unconventional but successful. The French ?eet was
badly shattered. Five ships of the line and De Grasse himself fell
into the hands of the British.

But the real signi?cance of the Battle of the Saintes was not in the
prizes. Rather, the British victory had an important impact on the
outcome of the peace negotiations that were going on between
Britain and her adversaries, then underway in Paris. It handed the
British an important bargaining chip in the peace talks and ensured
her continued presence in the West Indies. Moreover, after the
Saintes, the French and the Spanish never recovered their positions
in the Caribbean.

('5/@‘%@o
The Glorious First of June - June 1, 1794
At the time of the Glorious First of June, France was at war at
of what
home and abroad. Domestically, France was in the throes
uncer—
political
of
Terror’
‘Reign
of
an era
became known as the
tainty which had begun with the French Revolution in l789. In
addition to political instability. severa.1 poor harvests resulted in
famine and rising grain prices. These combined pressures led to
the outbreak of civil war in several regions of France.
and famine that
lt was against this background of war, civil strife
America
120 ships

from
the French ordered a grain convoy of some
itself batfound
consequently,
and,
to feed its starving population
the
well—equipped
period
of
in the
navy
tling the most powerful and
Wars.
Revolutionary
Anglo—French
clash of the French
first major
On April 2, 1794, the French convoy left Chesapeake Bay for
Brest with an escort consisting of four ships—of-the»line. British
Admiral Richard Howe. an experienced commander with over 50
ordered to intercept this grain
years of service to his credit, was
well-seasoned senior
eorivoy. He was accompanied by a group of
naval
careers.
officers all of whom had distinguished
The task of diverting the British from the convoy’s course fell to
the recently promoted Rear-Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse, an officer
_In fact, few of the French offiwith limited leadership experience._
experience.
cers involved in the battle had significant leadership
Only one of the captains of the French warships involved in the
Glorious First of June had commanded a ship—of-the—linebefore
1789.
Howe set sail from his base in Torbay in early April, l794 but
spotted neither the convoy or Villaretls ?eet until May 28, 1794.
On that day, about 400 miles off the coast of Ushant, Howe’s ?agship, the Queen Charlotte, sighted Villaret on the windward side
about 10 miles (16 km) away. When the two ?eets met they were
evenly matched with twenty-six ships each.

Villaret held off from immediate attack and maintained his advant-a—
genus windward position. Having learned of the grain c0nvoy’s
location from a frigate, Villaret continued to divert the British away
from the convoy which was out of sight on a southerly course.
Howegfired the first shot at six in the evening. He sent six leading
ships in squadron formation to attack the French from the rear. The
battle that followed cost each side one ship and yielded no clear
advantage to either the French or the British. Howe resumed his
attack early the next_ morning disabling three of the enemy’s twodeck ships and gaining the wind advantage. Yet, despite the loss of
crew, materiel and strategic position, the French fleet managed to
draw the British still further away from the grain convoy which
passed safely through the area of fighting the very next day.
After a two day respite due to heavy mist, Howe renewed his
assault on the morning of June 1, l794. The ?ght on that day was
fierce and close. However, the superior skills and tactics of the
British gave them an important advantage. In particular, the British
had more experienced crew and more accurate gunners. Their
repeated broadsides aimed at the bulls, where the gun stores were
kept. effectively disabled their opponents.

When the smoke cleared, some four hours after the battle began,
Howe had taken six ships: two eighty-gun ships-of-the-line and
four seventy-fours”. A seventh ship, Le Vengeur du Peuple, was
sunk. By the early afternoon the French ?eet was in disarray. The
battle had ‘also taken a toll on the Royal Navy. Several British ships
were heavily damaged an exhausted Howe. was unable to follow
up his yictory by sending a detachment to search for and capture
the grain convoy. Thus the Glorious First of June was a pyrrhic victory for the British. Although Howe clearly defeated the French
fleet, the convoy reached France, unharmed. on June 7, 1794.

€‘1‘J@%‘0
Cape St. Vincent - February 14, 1797
The Battle of Cape St. Vincent took place off the Sagres headland,
tip of Portugal where
a strategic point on the southw estem
Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) founded his maritime
observatory and school and where, since the time of Sir Francis
Drake, English fleets had waited for their enemies. There, Admiral
Sir John Jervis’s fleet of fifteen ships went up against a twentythe l36—gun Santissirna
seven ship Spanish fleet which included
Trinidad, the largest Man~of-War ever built. The Spanish ships
Brest in an
were on meir way to join up with a French ?eet at
attempt to invade the British Isles.

Admiral Sir John Jervis was sailing in two columns of seven and
eight when he spotted a Spanish force, led by Don Jose de
Cordoba. heading for Cadiz. The Spanish force was escorting a
silver,
convoy of five ships carrying mercury, essential to refining
Cadiz,
delivering
the
to
Cadiz.
After
mercury
from Malaga to
Cordoba was instructed to proceed to Brest to assist France in an
invasion of Ireland and then England. (The French had sent
several expeditions during the l790’s to help the United Irishmen
in
secure complete independence from Britain). Cordoba was
the
of
rest.
ahead
sailing
well
ships
six
loose formation with
Although the Spanish had the windward advantage, Jervis decided
fleet. He
in
to attack in order to exploit the huge gap the Spanish
However,
as the lead
hairpin
follow
in
curve.
a
ordered his ships to
them
the
in
between
bend
the
gap
curve.
ships advanced around the
take
in
would
ships
the
the
a
widened. It became clear that
rear
long time to engage. Noting this, Commodore Nelson, whose ship
J ervis"s instructions and
was toward the end of the line ignored
instead of following the curve, cut across the line directly toward
the Spanish ships. Attacking the enemy some ?fteen minutes
ahead of the rest of the British fleet, he fought a dozen Spanish
ships single—handed1y. “If you always disobey orders in like
manner” remarked Jervis to Nelson, yoti’ll be forgiven in
advance” (6)

9’
In all the British captured four ships-of-the-line; two with M2-

guns were larger than any Royal Navy ship of that time. Jen/is’s
victory was cheered in England. The following verse captures the
popular reaction to his success:
Howe made the Frenchmen dance a tune
An adiniral great and glorious
Witness for that the First of June
Lord how he was victorious
A noble sight as e’er we seen
And did the country service
But twenty-seven beat with fifteen
None ever did but Jervis (7).

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returned to Yarmouth to refit. leaving three ships in place to keep
an eye on the Dutch.
On October 9, 1797, while at Yarmouth, Duncan learned that the
Dutch had ventured out under Admiral Jan Wilhelm De Winter with
16 ships—of-the-line. five frigates and five brigs. Duncan immediately set sail from England with eleven ships-of-the-line. Though
fewer in number than the Dutch ?eet, the British ?eet was far superior in weaponry, carrying nine carronades while the Dutch had
none. When the two fleets met about seven miles off the coast of
Holland, the Dutch were heading north in line of battle. Afraid that
the Dutch would enter port, Duncan attacked at once his eleven
ships had. by this time joined with the three which had been left
behind to watch the Dutch coast without attempting to fomi a sin-

Heroes who dominated the British navy for the next eight years,
Jervis was rewarded by being named the Earl St. Vincent while
Nelson was promoted to Rear-Adiniral and made a Knight of Bath.

gle line. The Dutch were now in very shallow water and the British
risked running aground in their pursuit. Nonetheless Duncan
pressed on, vowing to fight the Dutch on land it he couldn’t fight
them at sea.

Camperdown - October 11, 1797

In the battle which followed, the British navy captured seven battleships, two fifty-gun ships and two frigates - half the effective
strength of the Dutch navy. Admiral De Winter"s ship was captured
with the help of William Bligh, former Captain of HMS. Bounty.
and de Winter taken prisoner. Camperdown deprived the French of
a useful ally and ended any remaining Dutch hopes of becoming a
first-class naval power. The most signi?cant aspect of this battle
from a naval standpoint was the great accuracy and rapidity of the
British gunnery. The Dutch themselves acknowledged that the
British ships tired three times as quickly as their own ships.

Camperdown, an action between Britain and Holland, is remembered as one of the bloodiest battles of the French Revolutionary
Wars. The engagement, which took place seven miles off the Dutch
coast, was an attempt by the British to stop the Dutch from assisting the French, who, it appeared, were planning a landing in
Ireland as a stepping stone to invade England.
Initially part of the First Coalition (I793) along with Britain, the
Dutch were overrun by the French in 1795 and from then on fought
against their former allies. In response, the British arranged 2.
blockade off the coast of Holland. Command of the blockade force
was given to Admiral Adam Duncan who watched the Dutch port
for two years despite difticiilties arising from the mutinies of
British crew at Spithead and Nore in 1797. In fact, during the NOTE:
Mutiny all but two of his ships were deserted. After the mutiny‘.
Duncan cruised his ships off the Dutch coast but eventually

Despite the fact that Camperdown was a clear victory for the
British. boI.h sides sustained heavy casualties - 1,040 British and
l,l6(J0 Dutch crew were either killed or w0ui'ided. As many as
6000 Dutch are believed to have been taken prisoner. As his
reward. Admiral Duncan was accorded the title Viscount Duncan of
Campcrdown.

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Cabrita Point - July 12, 1801

The battle which took place off Cabrita Point on July I2, 1801 was
the final action in a plan developed by Napoleon to reinforce his
army in Egypt. Control of Egypt, Napoleon believed, would
impede British expansion iii the Near East and in India and cause
irreparable damage to his enemy’s commercial interests.
For several months before guns blazed at Cabrita Point, the French.
under the command of Rear—Admiral Ganteaume, had unsuccess»
fully tried to get supplies through to their troops in Egypt. Their
attempts were thwarted both by the British fleet and by local opposition. During February 1801 the British ?eet managed to land
16,000 troops in Egypt. By early September, Alexandria, the last
French enclave, fell to the British. But while the land battle was in
progress the French tried to use its navy and the navy of its ally
Spain to maintain its interests in Egypt.
The French Admiral Durand Linois was ordered to sail from
Toulon with three ships and join up with six newly built French
ships and six Spanish ships in Cadiz. The ?fteen ships were to
transport troops from Italy and land them in Egypt in an attempt to
squeeze the British army between those on whom they were
advancing and the newly arrived French troops.
Linois left Toulon on July I, 1801. He sailed as far as Algeciras but
since Cadiz was blockaded by the British, he was unable to link up
with the French and Spanish ships. Linois then moored in at
Algegiras, in full view of Gibraltar, under the protection of the
Spanish batteries and forts as well as fourteen Spanish gunboats
which lined Algeciras Bay. A five-ship British squadron under
Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez sighted Linois"s three ships on
the morning of July 6 and gave the battle signal. Apparently
almost the entire population of “the Rock’ came out to watch as the
battery on Cabrita Point opened fire, In the cannonade which followed, the British, disadvantaged by a lack of wind. struggled to
get into action. After almost six hours, Saumarez abandoned the

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action having sustained heavy casualties 375 killed, missing or
wounded - and losing the 74—gun Hannibal to the French.
Nonetheless Saumarez refused to accept defeat.
—

Linois, for his part. did not follow up his victory, possibly because
he suffered even heavier losses than the British (586 killed, missi.ng
or wounded), and substantial damage to his ships. While his ships
were being repaired at Algeciras, Linois sent a message to Cadiz
requesting reinforcements before the British could attack again.
Early on the morning of July 9, the Franco-Spanish squadron set
out from Cadiz. Of the six Spanish ships in the fleet, three had
three decks and two were among the most heavily armed in the
world at that time. The fleet cast anchor off Algegiras.
On the same day. two ships from the British detachment that had
been watching Cadiz, reached Gibraltar to reinforce Saumarez.
Saumarez now had ?ve ships-of-the—line to Linois’s nine. At noon
on July I2, the British spotted the Ft‘anc0—Spanish fleet leaving
Algegiras and forming a battle line off Cabrita Point. As the British
passed out of the harbor at Gibraltar, they gave the battle signal,
The Spanish squadron, instead of engaging, headed out to the
Atlantic increasing the distance between themselves and the British
?eet. In the gathering darkness. Admiral Saumarez sent the Superb,
one of the ships which had not been involved in the recent Battle of
Algeciras, to chase and attack the enerny’s steminost ships. The
Superb did exactly that, setting one ll2—gun Spanish ship, the Real—
Carlos, on fire and forcing the surrender of a smaller French ship.
In the smoke and confusion, the Real—Carlos collided with a second
1
I2-gun Spanish ship and set it ablaze. Both ships exploded in the
early hours of July 13, losing over 1700 out of 2000 crew.

Cahrita Point was important from a strategic and political point of
view. The battle demonstrated the exceptional competence of the
British Mediterranean Fleet. The British were victorious despite the
fact that the Franco—Spanish ?eet outnumbered the British force
nine ships to five ships; that two of the enemy ships were far more
powerful than any in the British fleet; and, that the action was

€‘WW

fought at night with tnost damage being inllicted by one British
ship - the Superb. Politically. the defeat at Cabrita Point convinced
Napoleon to abandon his efforts to reinforce the French troops in
Egypt a decision which enabled the British to win the land battle in
the area.

Trafalgar - October 21. 1805
The Battle of Trafalgar was the ?nal act in a bold campaign that
Napoleon had launched against the British almost a vear earlier.
Napoleon ?rmly believed that if France did not destroy England
England would destroy France. 30 it was that the Emperor mas d
a ?otilla of several hundred barges and a large army at Boulogne in
anticipation of the French ?eet clearing the way across the Channel
for his army. “Let us be masters of the Straits for six hours" wrote
Napoleon, “and we shall he masters of the world“.
Napoleon devised an ambitious plan to defeat the British using the
combined French and Spanish ?eets. He ordered Admiral
Villeneuve. the_ young commander of France's Mediterranean ?eet.
to elude the Bnnsh blockade. sail to Martinique escorted by a
Spanish squadron and. once in the West Indies to join up with several other French and Spanish squadrons. The Combined Fleet
would then decoy the British into the Caribbean. force it to diSp€l'\(
and then return to the Channel to escort Napoleon‘s invasion forces
into England.
The plan went well for Villeneuve at first. He managed to slip past
Nelson‘s blockade at Toulon. Joined by three Spanish ships from
Cadiz. he arrived in Martinique on May I4, 1805. Nelson. delayed
in his search for Villeneuve because of poor weather conditions.
in
was unsure of his adversarie's whereabouts and chased after him
Villeneuve
the
which
squadron
the wrong direction. Unfortunately
was supposed to meet was unable to break through the British
blockade. Having waited fony days to rendez-vous with the
French Atlantic Fleet he could wait no longer. In the meantime.

€‘!>w@M:»‘o
Nelson had established Villeneuve's position and was qttickly closing in on him. Anxious of Nelson's proximity. Villeneuve sailed
back to Ferrol in Northern Spain.
Nelson managed to inform the British Admiralty of Villeneuve‘s
movements and a detachment front the main Channel fleet was sent
to intercept the French off Cape Finisterre. There, a British ?eet of
?fteen ships was waiting for the combined fleet of twenty. But the

battle which followed was inconclusive. The British, somewhat disorganized. were unable to win a decisive victory. Nonetheless. the
British forced Villeneuve to harbour south of his intended destination. As he pulled out he spotted what he though was a British
squadron. In order to avoid an encounter he sailed into Cadiz. Short
of supplies and with many sick sailors Villeneuve had to resupply
and put the sick ashore. When Napoleon ordered Villeneuve to
leave at once for the Channel to carry out the invasion of England.
the wind was against ltim and he was forced to shelter in Cadiz.
Napoleon was furious at what he believed to be a missed opportunity tn conquer Britain.
Villenettve anchored in Cadiz under the watchful eye of Admiral
Collingwootl until October 19. 1805. Nelson took several weeks
leave in Britain in September 1805. When he resutned his command he vowed that he would "yet give M. Villeneuve a beating".
His opportunity came shortly after he joined the British ?eet off
Cadiz on September 28. 1805.

Napoleon did not give up the idea of annihilating the British ?eet.
In early October. the Emperor instructed Villeneuve to leave Cadiz
to support the French in the Mediterranean as pan of yet another
campaign to destroy the British fleet. As he withdrew from Cadiz
Spanish
on October 19 with eighteen French ships and fifteen
him.
waiting
for
ships
ships. some twenty-seven British
were
all. develand
for
his
destroy
opponent
once
Nelson. determined to
captains
his
made
that
attack
and
sure
oped an unorthodox plan of
need
little
for sigwould
be
there
that
were thoroughly prepared so
nals dttring the assault.

More important than the issue of prizes. Nelson’s legacy at
Trafalgar was to establish British supremacy on the high seas for
the rest of the nineteenth century. Trafalgar. wrote one historian.
“was like the knock out blow at the end of a prize ?ght: one of the
?ghters had won all the previous rounds on points. and the other
(8).
was worn out by trying to dodge the punches”
_

Essentially. Nelson rejected the long line of battle in front of the
enemy. Rather in what became known as “the Nelson Touch“. the

order of battle was to consist of two colunuis heading for the
enemy line. These two coltimns were to break up the enemy line as
it crossed the “T" and cause a general melee. The British captains
would then place their ships alongside those of the enemy.
Soon after daybreak on October 2l the opposing ?eets were in
clear view of each other. Villeneuves Franco-Spanish ?eet was
heading southward and the British were about 15 miles to the
windward. The British steered in two columns as planned with
Nelson leading the windward column and Admiral Collingwood
leading the leeward column. At first Villeneuvc. aware that passage
through Gibraltar would involve a major fight. tried to reverse s
position and return to Cadiz. But given the proximity of the British
he could not return. After some considerable difficulty his ships
managed to form a crescent shaped line.

Around noon, Admiral Collingwoods division. attacking the rear
of the Franco-Spanish fleet, opened fire on the enemy and broke
through their line. Soon after. Nelson attacked and the melee was
underway. Just over an hour later. as he was pacing on the deck ot
his ship. Nelson was struck through the shoulder and fatally
wounded. He died three hours later. Despite this end. Nelson was
able to accomplish his mission and more. After ?ve hours of fighting, not one British ship had struck her colours while seven French
and twelve Spanish ships were in British possession. Unfortunatcl
a subsequent encounter with a small Spanish force determined to
bring back some of their ships as well as a severe stonri off Cape
Trafalgar cost the British several of her prizes. Only four were
brought safely to Gibraltar and four others were brought to
Plymouth.

San Domingo - February 5, 1806
After the defeat at Trafalgar, Napoleon turned to economic means
to weaken his British rivals. Prior to his proclamation of the
Continental System (November. 1806) which was an attempt to
blockade Britain and close the continent to British trade. Napoleon
instructed his fleet to disrupt British commercial activity on the
high seas.
Towards the end of 1805. two French squadrons eluded the British
blockade of French ports and set sail from Brest. Their task was to
hinder the flow of British trade and commerce in the West Indies.
One squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral Leissegues
consisted of five ships-of~the-line. two frigates and a corvette. The
other squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral Willaumez
included six ships—of»the—line. two frigates and a corvette. When
Vice-Admiral Sir John
news of Leissegues‘ departure reached
.
Cadiz.
Duckworth sailed his
blockading
been
who
had
Duckworth
six ships-of-the-line to intercept the French. He caught up with
fol~
Leissegues off the coast of Santa Domingo. In the battle which
lowed. all five ships in the French squadron were either captured
sides. totalling some
or driven ashore. Losses were heavy on both from Willa_iimez‘s
taken
ship
1,500 fatalities. Although one
was
squadron. his ships did not engage in the ?ghting and sailed back
to France separately.
_

Despite his success, Duckwonh was repritnanded for desening his
post and abandoning the blockade at Cadi7. According to the
Admiralty. his actions. though laudable in intention, could have
compromised British naval operations in the entire area.

Lissa - March 13. I811
This action took place off the small island of Li 21, located in the
Adriatic Sea. midway down the Daltnation coast. There, the
British. under Captain William Hoste. engaged a French fleet
which was attempting to occttpy Lissa in an effort to gain control
of the northern Adriatic.

During March 1811. Captain William Hoste was using Lissa as a
base and anchorage for his small British force of four frigatcs.
Hoste had served many times with Nelson. first at the age of twelvt
at the outbreak of war with revolutionary France and later at Cape
St. Vincent and the Battle of the Nile. While anchored at Lissa.
Hoste spotted a contingent of ten French and Venetian ships
(Venice had been under the control of France since I797) moving
toward the lsland.
Under the command of Commodore Dttbordicu. the objective of
this combined Franco-Venetian force was to defeat Hoste and ()Ct.‘tl
py Lissa. which was strategically important to the French. Apart
fomi the fact that Lissa was located directly opposite Dubordietrs
own base. control of the island would guarantee French control of
the Northern Adriatic and the sea approaches to Venice.
At First light on March 13. 181 l. Dubordieu's ?eet was seen lying»
to off the Northern point of Lissa. In a tactic reminiscent of
Nelson‘s strategy at Trafalgar. Dubordieu fomted his ships into l\\t
divisions. But Hoste. having been an ardent pupil of Nelson's.
knew how to counter the manoeuver. The British fomted a close
li_ne in order
to eliminate any gaps through which the line cottld

be pierced. Hoste began ?ring at about nine o‘clock in the morning. The French. with three ships in each division. tried to break
through the British line in two places. Once again accurate tiring as
well as a compact line gave the British the advantage. In the two—
hour melee that followed, four British frigates defeated six French
frigates. captured two of them and drove Dubordieu's ship ashore.
killing the French comtnandcr.

Lissa is remembered for several reasons. First. although Hostc’s
losses were high - 45 dead and 145 wounded - he successfully
spoiled French ambitions regarding control of the Northern
Adriatic. Secondly. it was won by the much smaller British force.
And thirdly. Hoste‘s victory demonstrated that the famous “Nelson
Touch" could be effectively countered by a compact. prepared line.

INTRODUCTION TO MAN OF WAR
Climb aboard for the high seas battles of Man Of War. Combining
fumed based strategy with real-time action. Man Of War delivers
the experience of naval warfare in the Age of Fighting Sail. Take
command as the Admiral, and walk in the footsteps of the leaders
of the past on board the deck of a mighty Ship-0f—The-Line.
GAME MANUAL

PLAYING THE GAME
Man Of War is comprised of two distinct sections. the turn based

In the setup
setup and plotting stage and the real-time action phase.
El historical
play
either
and plotting stage. players can choose to
scenario or '4 custorni7ed scenario. From a map of the chosen battle.
players survey the strength of their fleet. analyze the weakness of
the enemy and contemplate strategy. During setup the appropriate
pre—battle doctrine is set and lirst orders are issued through a ?ag
system of command.

When the planning is complete. Man Of War's real»time action
phase puts the player on the deck of the ?agship in a ?rst»person
perspective. Players can move about freely to watch the outcome
of their orders from any vantage point on the ships deck. In a
phase that lasts up to four minutes, players will experience the roar
of the cannons, the impact of a broadside and a changing environ»
ment of 16 different weather conditions. When the four minute turn
is complete. play will return to the plotting stage where damage
and ?eet movement is assessed and new orders are issued. When
the final orders are given and the last cannon has ?red, the Victory
Summary will display the results of the battle and proclaim the
victor.

Windows95 Installation
To install the game in Win95. select RUN from the Stan Menu on
the Win95 Taskbar. Type X:\SETUP.EXE (where X is the drive letCD—ROM drive).
ter for

your
Or
Click on the Setup icon on the Man Of War CD drive. Follow the
on—st:reen instructions to install the game files to your hard drive.

Note: If you are having pe?ormance problems running Man Of’
War from directly within Windows 95. rebooting to a DOS session
may alleviate these problems.

Windows 3.X Installation
INSTALLING THE GAME
You must install Man Of War to run the game.
You may install from Windows95, Windows 3.X. or DOS.
It you experience problems during installation, please refer to the
Troubleshooting section ofthis manual. Additional information is
included in the README.TXT ?le on the CD.

System Requirements
512KB conventional memory
8MB RAM tl6MB for Win95)
16MB required for Multiplayer Mode
50MB free Hard Disk space
VESA compliant Video card w/ 1MB Video RAM
Pentium(1m) class processor
Microsoftttm) or 100% compatible mouse and driver
SoundBlaster(tm) or l00% compatible Sound card
Note: Recommended 32MB RAM for optimal performance.

To install the game from within Windows, select RUN from the
File Menu in the Program Manager. Type XSETUREXE (where
X is the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive).
Follow the on-screen instructions to install the game ?les to your
hard drive.
Note: Although Man OfWa1' may be installed and launched from
Windows 3.X. it is recommended that you shut down windows and
improve the
run the program directly from DOS. This will greatly
performance of Man Of War.

DOS Installation
To install the game. place the Man Of War CD in your CDVROM
drive. Make your CD-ROM drive the active drive. eg: type D: and
press Enter (if D is your CD—ROM drive).
Type INSTALL and press Enter. Follow the on screen instructions
to install the game files to your hard drive.
When the installation is complete. you will be returned to the
DOS prompt.

WWW

Sound con?guration

If you did not con?gure your sound card during the installation
pf0C5>S YOU can (i0 50 HOW.
To con?gure your sound card. type SETSOUND.EXE and press
Enter. Select your sound card from the list provided and follow the
on screen instructions to set your sound con?guration.

upwards Willi each one you take. Pressing the escape key will display the Options Pop-up. except in the 3D resolution screen where
it will cause the current turn to be skipped. The ‘R' key can be
used to reset your display at any time in case the screen becomes
garbled, This generally only happens if you are switching between
applications under Windows 95 and it is recommended that you
avoid doing so whenever possible as Windows may have problems
properly restoring Man Of War.

Copy protection
Man Of War has no copy protection but. the Man Of War CD must
be in your CD»ROM drive to play the game.

STARTING THE GAME
Please ensure that the Man Of War CD is in your CD drive.
To start Man Of War in DOS. go to the directory where Man Of
War is installed and type MOW.
To start the game in Windows, open the MOW folder on the drive
where Man Of War is installed and click on the MOW icon.
The Man Of War CD must be in the CD drive for the game to run.
Win95 note: Man Of War must be run in Full Screen mode.

MENU HOT KEYS
Certain keys and key combinations perform speci?c functions
regardless of where you may be in the Man of War interface. A|t—0
will always return you to the Main Menu. although caution should
be exercised as you will not be prompted for continuation. If you
are already in the Main Menu Alt-Q will exit you out of Man of
War. Hitting the
key at any time will save a screen shot to you!
hard drive. These will be saved as PCX tiles named ‘scshtxxx.pC.\
where 'xxx‘ starts at 000 for the first screen shot. and increments

MAIN MENU
From the main menu you can start a new scenario or campaign.
play a network game or create your own with the Scenario Editor.
Move the 'anchor‘ cursor over your choice and lel't—elick to select.
The Main menu offers you the following choices:
New Scenario - Clicking here presents the New Scenario menu to
start a new game.

€W@4@‘0
New Campaign 4 Select this to start a new campaign.
Note: You may load a previously saved campaign
game from within the Files menu accessed via the
options pop-up.

SAVING AND LOADING GAME

74:. mt...

FILES

Oplidm

Clicking on the Film button in the
OPTIONS pop—up brings you to the
FILES Menu. The current game can be
saved or previously saved games may be
loaded. The saved game ?le names are
listed in the left column while the corresponding tlescription (campaign or sce»
nario) is listed in the right. To save the current game click in the
File Name space and type in a name tag: mygamel ) and hit the
ENTER key. (Note: File names have a maximum of 8 characters.)
Then click on the SAVE button and the OK button to close the
FILES Menu.
To load a game simply click on and highlight the desired game
from the list. Click on the LOAD button and the OK button. You
must have played and saved at least one game previously for it to
appear on the list.

"—*"

Clicking on the CANCEL button will cancel all actions and close
the FILES Menu.

Multiplayer

—Tl1is brings

you to the Multiplayer menu to play a

network, modem or serial game.

Scenario Editor -This presents the Scenario Editor to create your
own scenarios or edit old ones.

—Displays the options memt.

Options

OPTIONS MEl\ ‘
Selecting Options from the Main Menu or
elsewhere in the menus displays the
Options pop-up. Pressing ESC_ while in
W~‘,W,'.m,
any menu screen will also activate the
llum nplum
Options pop-up. The Options allow you to
-.+_..._.
set the sound and music volume using the
_
slide bars provided. Resolutions options.
saved game files and game credits are also
accessible here.
If the options pup-up is accessed from the
Main Menu :1 Quit Gama button will be
present. if it is accessed from anywhere
else tltis button will allow you to quit to the Main Menu. Clicking
the Cancel button will close the Options pop-up and cancel any
modi?cations you may have made. while clicking the OK button
will close the Options Menu and implement any changes.

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your flagship is tired upon or the enemy is within the desired
range. The range can be set to shon. medium or long by clicking on
and toggling through the choices. Click on the Check buttons to
select or deselect an option. Check marks displayed in red indicate
options that are currently active. those in black are currently inactive. If you have a slow computer or video card, you can turn off
the display of water texture or even your cw» n ?agship.
Note: Damage to your flagship will not be displayed if it is turned
off. You must click on the OK button to accept and save any
changes. Clicking CANCEL will disregard any changes and close
the pop-up.

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RESOLUTION OPTIONS

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Selecting Resolution from the Options Menu brings you to tl1e
Resolution Menu. Here you set the default resolution speed and
four
screen display options. Each turn in Man Of War represents
)
speed
(xl
default
resolution
u s no
minutes of game time. The
Idl\€ the
will
xiewing
of a game turn
time compression and thus the
8
Z.
4.
times
allow»
adjusted
to
full 4 minutes. This value can be
or
2
30
seconds.
minutes.
minute. or
ing the 3D resolution to take
respectively. While in the 3D screen you can adjust the speed as
you wish for that turn. however the speed vtill reset to the default
on the following turn.
Options can also he set autoinaticall_v to return the resolution speed
to real time (xl t under certain conditions. The possible conditions
you can set include drop to real time \~ hen: the tirst cannon is fired.

In this screen you can select from a list of historical battles or from
your custom 'cenarios. A description of each scenario. as well as
the countries inxolved. is shown as it is highlighted. Man of War
Can be played solo agaiiist the computer. against a human opponent

4-I

NEW SCENARIO

or computer versus computer. When you highlight or select a
scenario. the flags of the participating nations will appear in the
player selection plate in the upper left side of the screen. When at
scenario is selected choose which country you will be by clicking
the icon on the lefthand side of the Corresponding player number.
Both human players are represented by the Admiral icons on the
left. the cog wheel icons to the right represent the computer opponent. To have the computer play against itself, select both computer
icons. To quit computer versus computer mode press the ALT and
Q keys simultaneously.
Select the P7‘£’l71ll1I button to display a list of historical scenarios.
Clicking the Custom button displays the list of your custom made
scenarios. You must use the Scenario Editor (see section entitled
Scenario Editor) to create your own custom scenarios.
Man Of War comes with 12 historically accurate scenarios already
installed. For a detailed history of each battle please refer to the
section entitled History.

DOCTRINE
Click the Start button to begin the highlighted scenario.
Clicking on the Main button returns you to the Main Menu.

The Doctrine. or rules of engagement. arc the orders given by the
force commander (you) to the individual ship and division commartders prior to battle. They are expected to follow these orders.
especially when they are out of contact with the Flagship. Each
ship captain will attempt to comply. but ultimately duri g battle.
certain situations may arise that force an individual captain's course
of action.
Before the battle begins yott must set the overall doctrines for your
?eet. How close to engage the enemy. minimum and maximum tire
ranges and use of combat sails are set here. Above the ships on the
right side of the screen is the Doctrine Dialog Box.
Clicking on the left ship sets engagement distance (short. medium
or long). Clicking on the right ship toggles the range to which the
ship(S) will allow the enetny to Close before attempting to distance
themselves. The middle ship sets full or reduced sail while in cnm—
bat. Clicking on the cannon ball sets ?ring ranges. These items
may also be modi?ed by clicking directly on their descriptions in
the Doctrine Dialog Box.

implementing the doctrine to use combat sails causes your ships to
raise their lowest row of sails once they are within range of the
fire. Much debate
enemy in order to bring them out of the line of
due to the
maneuverability
loss
of
the
around
whether
has revolved
sustaining
lessened
chance
of
worth
the
decreased sail area was
damage to the sails in combat.
Different doctrines can be applied to all ships of a particular class
ship
or. in the case of Ships of The Line. by division. The type of
clicking
selected
by
be
doctrine
on
to may
you wish to apply the
the appropriately labelled button on the left hand panel of the
the
screen. A panicular division may be selected by clicking on
button.
Line
Ships
0fThe
arrow toggle to the right of the
Once you are satis?ed with your Doctrine, click on Initial Orclcrs
to bring you to the Orders Screen. Once all initial orders are done.
the first
press the Slur! button. If you decide not to give orders for
doctrine.
turn click on Start immediately after establishing your
Often times. it is useful to enter the orders screen before is. ing
Doctrine to your fleet as you will be able to make a more informed

}

ships you prevent the enemy front sinking or capturing them and
thus deprive the other side the opportunity of gaining the victory
points associated with these actions. By the same token. you
should keep a cautious vigil on the enemy’s exit edges to prevent
the satne tactics from being used against you.
Exit edges themselves not only represent areas open to navigation,
but also areas where your ships may escape without fear of being
captured. For example. if you are playing the British ?eet which is
engaged in a battle off the southern coast of an enemy nation. your
ships will not be able to exit off the northern map edge as this
would result in certain defeat. For this reason. ships are not permitted to exit off non-exit edges.

decision once you have viewed the initial battle situation.

THE MAP

The area of battle and the Fleet formations for each conflict within
Man of War are displayed on a map. This surface allows the player
to survey the battle. assess his forces. those of his opponent and
plot his subsequent strategy. The map itself represents an artisfs
depiction of the battle as seen from a birds eye view. lt presents
the relative location of the two ?eets’ ships as well as the position
of any land masses or shoals. Certain edges of the map may be
designated as exit edges for either side. In order to view which exit
edges are available. please refer to the Notes pop~up. Exit edges
provide an important strategic feature. especially if you wish to
area
maneuver captured. or particularly damaged ships outside the
of battle. The advantages of this are two fold. First. ships that are
exited immediately have their value added to your victory point
total (see the description of the Victory Summary screen for a complete explanation of victory points). Secondly. by exiting damaged

WW’ WW

mi: map. It will be highlighted with a red circle. In division mode

all ships of an entire division are highlighted. Selecting ?eet mode
highlights all the ships in your ?eet. Selecting the ?agship button
centers the map over the ?eet ?agship. Enemy ships are highlight—
ed in black and cannot be given orders.
All orders are represented and given via a flag system. You may
choose from l5 different orders. As each order is given it is ‘run up
the flag pole‘. Any order can be highlighted with its description
shown in the box below. Also the ship(s) associated with its order
will be highlighted on the map. You may cancel an order by highlighting its ?ag on the pole and clicking on the Cancel button in the
description box.
A maximum of 12 orders may be given per turn.
Below the description box are the Notes. End Turn and Options
buttons.
Once you have ?nished your orders. click on the End Turn button.
On the ?rst turn only you must retum to the Doctrine screen to end
your turn. in this case the End Tum button will be replaced by one
labelled Doctrine.

ORDERS
The left side of the Orders screen contains the Various controls and
orders you can give for your turn. The cutrertt player is also shown
here. Move the cursor over a ?ag or button and a description of its
function appears in the message bar at the bottom of the screen.
The message bar covers the bottom portion of the screen. The large
window on the right side of the screen shows an overhead map of
the battle area. Right—clickingthe mouse on the map will zoom it in
or out. Right—cliCk on a ship and a status repon for that ship
appears. Moving the cursor to
Single Ship
Division
the extremes of the screen will
scroll the map in that direction.
Orders
can be given to a single
Flagship
Fleet
vessel. a division or the ?eet.
The top 4 buttons represent
these order modes. While in
shi mode select a shi P
sincle
iefbclilzking
Fl“gP°l‘ by
Orders
on a ship on

The List of Orders
Go with Bearing/Hold Location
Left-click on this button to set direction by compass hear
ing. The selected ship will be highlighted with a red circle with an arrow that rotates as you move the mouse. The arrow
indicates the hearing or compass direction. Once the arrow is pointing in the desired direction lct't—click again to set the bearing.
Right-click on this button to order the selected ship(s) to remain at
their current location.

Make more sail/Less sail

Left—cliclt on this button to order selected ship(s) to

increase their sails. This should increase their speed.

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Right-click the button to order the selected ship(s) to use less sails

and go slower.

General Pursuit

Left-click: Orders the selected ship(s) to sail towards and
follow the ?agship. Right-click: Orders selected shipts)
to regroup and sail along the same hearing as the ?agship. lf this
order is issued to an individual ship within a division or a whole
division, the shipts) will conform to their division ?agship. If this
order is issued to an independent ship (one not assigned to a division) or to the entire ?eet. then they will conform to the ?eet flag—
ship.

Follow me/Conform to the Flag

Orders the fleet to pursue and engage the enemy at will.

Engage this ship/Follow this ship
Left-click: To order selected shiptsl to attack a desired
enemy ship. A red line appears from your ship to the
mouse cursor. Move the cursor over the map and click on the
enemy ship you wish to engage. The red line will now connect the
two ships. Right-click: To order the selected ship(s) to follow the
course of a desired friendly ship. A red line appears from your ship
to the mouse cursor. Move the cursor over the map and click on the
friendly ship you wish to follow. The red line will now connect the
i

involved in a boarding action.
Rjghpclick: Orders the selected shipts) to engage the enemy from a
greater distance. This modi?es the same parameters as above.

Drop out of Division/Flee

Left-Click: The highlighted ship(s) will become indepen—
dent. The ship(s) will no longer be part of this division. If
this order is "sued to the ?eet, all ships will become independent.
Right-Click: Orders the selected ship(s) to disengage and attempt to
leave the battle via the most accessible exit edge.

two ships.

Engage closer/Engage from further
Left—click: Orders the selected ship(s) to engage the
enemy at closer range. This modi?es both the distance to
which the ship(sJ will close with the enemy and the distance to
which the ship(s) will allow the enemy to close with them.
Caution is advised when instructing ships to engage at 21 closer
range as often times this will greatly increase the chances of being

Rally/Surrender

Left-click: Orders the ?eet to regroup around the flag
ship.
Right-click: Issuing this order causes all remaining ships
within your ?eet to surrender to the enemy. Note: Occasionally. it
is still possible to win the overall battle after issuing this order.
This generally occurs if you have already exited most of your ?eet
off the map. have already decimated the enemy fleet. or a combination of the two.

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7
THE WIND
The wind strength and
direction are represented on
A
the map by these icons.
The three possible wind
conditions are Light. Brisk
and Strong. The map edge that the wind icon is on and its orientalion indicate the direction the wind is coming from. ( For more on
this subject consult the section Wind in the Scenario Editor section.)
_

THE NOTES
Clicking the Nater button brings up a status report of the current
battle. This report lists the victory conditions and the side that is
currently winning. When playing a campaign the victory conditions
are represented by 21 descriptive text indicating what the player
tnust accomplish in the current scenario in order to win. When
playing a single scenario the victory conditions are represented by
a summary of the victory point totals for both sides as well as the
point advantage needed for the stronger ?eet to win. It should be
noted that if the stronger side does not attain this advantage, the
weaker wins by default. For a more detailed description of how
victory points work please refer to the section on the Victory
Summary screen. Arrows along the edges of the report indicate
possible exit edges along the map for each player. Red arrows are
yours, the enemy’s are in black.
Clicking again or pressing the, ESC key closes the Notes pop-up.

A WORD ABOUT SAILING
Because the great ships of the past were powered by wind. sailing
in straight lines or in a particular direction was sometimes impossi—
ble. Often getting from one point to another required more skill
than just going head long in a straight line. Ships would often be
required to take a 7ig—7.ag course. commonly referred to as ‘tacka
ing’, when attempting to head through a wind.

SHIP DAMAGE AND OTHER
MAP ICONS
Ship damage on the map is represcnted by the circle highlight. The
more spaces in the circle. the more
damaged the ship. By clicking on
the Fleet button you can see at a
glance which ships are damaged
which ones are not. Clicking on the
enemy fleet will show their degree
of damage. To get a detailed
description of a particular ship's status you must right-click on that
ship. Both hull and masts have three possible damage states.
increasing in severity until the ship is demasted or awash. A
demasted ship can no longer maneuver at will and will simply drift
in the wind. An awash ship is taking on water and is in imminent
danger of sinking.
Other icons superimposed on a ship indicate any possible
movement problem it may be having. The wheel icon indicates

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the ship has stalled. either it is facing directly into the wind or the
wind is not reaching its sails. The crossed-oars icon means this
ship is de—masted and cannot move. The anchor icon indicates the
ship has run aground on a reef or shoals and cannot move. Once a
ship is grounded it will tend to work itself free after awhile if left to
its own devices. The amount of time this takes depends on the
crew quality of the ship and its size.

3D RESOLUTION PHASE
Once you have clicked on End Turn in the Orders Screen. Man Of
War places you on the deck of your Flagship to watch the outcome
of the current turn. Using the-directional arrow keys on your key—
board. you can tour the deck of your ship and view the battle.
Holding down the Alt key while going to the left or right causes
you to sidestep in that direction instead of tuming. Holding down
the Shift key increases the rate at which you turn.
The strip on the bottom of the screen includes a timer clock.
controls to increase or decrease the rate of time compression (see

me section on the Resolution Options Menu for a full explanation).
a directional compass. a Pause button and a Skip tum button.
Moving the Cursor off the bottom strip changes the cursor to a spy
glass or telescope. Click on a ship to ‘zoom-in‘ on that ship and see
its status. Right-click to return to the nomml view. The 3D phase
normally lasts 4 minutes unless time compression is active. You
can exit the resolution phase at any time by pressing the "ESC" key
or clicking on the Skip button.
Time compression may also be selected through the ‘l'. ‘2‘. "3'.
and '4‘ keys. and the Resolution may be paused by pressing the ’P'
key. When the turn is ?nished you are returned to the orders screen.
Note: On some monitors the night battles are too dark. A temporary
Gamma ?x is available. Press the ‘+‘ key to brighten the screen. To
reset. press the ‘-' key.

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WINNING THE GA.VlI-1

scenario. If one ofthc two sides begins the game with it victory
point advantage. that side must end the game with an advantage
equal to twice the starting point difference in order to be deelat'ed
victorious. For example. if the British ?eet starts with a fifty point
advantage over the enemy. they must end the scenario with at least
it1 order to win.
one hundred points more than the other side
Theoretically, this allows a disadvantaged force to win a scenario
by exiting all of the tleet's ships before the engagement. However,
in practice this is rarely possible as the slowest ships of one fleet
can seldom outrun the fastest of the other.
The statistics for forces captured. lost. and those remaining on the
left hand side of the screen detail what became of the first players
?eet. Thus. forces captured actually represent the number of ships
from the original fleet that were captured by the enemy. Similarly.
the statistics on the right hand side of the screen represent the same
information for the second player.
Clicking on the (“rm/1'/my button returns you to the Main menu.

Victory Summary
QUITTING THE GAME
The Victory summary is displayed at the end of even‘ battle. lt displays the statistics regarding the j ‘I completed scenario. The sum»
mary indicates who won and deta s of the forces of the two oppoa
nents. The number of ships and guns each side started and ended
with is shown. Also. details of forces lost. captured and those that
exited.
Which side has won the battle is determined by both sides‘ starting
and ending "Victory Point" totals. The total for arty given side is
the sum of the point values of all its ships. The value of a ship is
based on the number of guns it has modi?ed by its crew quality.
Modi?ers range front an extra 20 guns of value for a ship with an
excellent crew to a 20 gun decrease in value for a ship with a
Green crew. For example. a hundred gun ship with an excellent
crew has an actual value of 120 points. Victory points are gained
during the battle by sinking or capturing enemy ships. by exiting
your own ships or having ships left on the map at the end of the

Clicking on the 0pn'(m.r button displays the Options pop—up.
Selecting the Quiz [0 Mam button ends the scenario you are playing
and returns you to the Main menu. From the Main menu select the
Quit Game button (once again from the Options pop-up) to exit
Man Of War.

Moving around the Map

As in the Orders Menu. moving the cursor to the edge of the screen
scrolls the map in that direction. To zoom in. right»click on any
open spot on the map. To zoom back out. right—click again.

Adding a Ship
To add a ship, first verify that you are in the single ship editing

an Inn :.,.

SCENARIO EDITOR
The Scenario Editor allows you to customize your own scenarios,
or design new ones based on historical battles or your own imagi~
nation. Clicking on the Scenario Editor button within the Main
Menu brings you to this screen. ln order to edit an already existing
scenario, you must access the files menu, and load in the custom
scenario you wish to modify.
The left side of the screen contains the majority of the editing controls while the right side of the screen displays a map of the battle
you are working on. A message bar on the bottom of the screen
shows descriptions of each control as your cursor passes over them.
The ?ags at the top left side of the screen indicate which side's
forces you are currently editing. Select Player one or Player two's
forces by clicking on the left-or right flag respectively. The arrow
toggle beneath the flags cycles through the available nationalities
for the selected side. Below the nationality toggle are two rows of
controls that allow you to edit individual ships (the top row). or the
divisions under which the ships are grouped (the second row). The
buttons on the left of each row determine which editing mode you
are currently in (either single ship. or division).

mode. then click on the Add button. Your cursor will then change to
a compass rose and you may then position the cursor on the map
where you wish to add the new ship. Left-clicking will then place
the ship and display the Ships editor pop-up in which you can set
the individual attributes of the ship. Left-clicking on an already
placed ship rotates it through all the possible facings it may have.
Right-click on an already placed ship will also bring up the Ship
Editor pop—up. Within the Ship Editor you may name your ship.
choose its size. number of guns and its crew quality. Right—clicking
again will close the pop-up.
To reposition a ship. left—click on the unit. then drag and drop it at
the desired location.

Deleting a ship
Verifying first that you are in Single Ship editing mode. click on
the Delete button. Move the cursor over the ship you wish to delete
and left-click.
Assigning Divisions
cc you have assembled your fleet, you can assign your ships to
Separate divisions. Separating your ?eet into smaller units facilitates ease of issuing orders. as opposed to commanding a large
number of individual ships.

gt?yémgo
First select the division you wish to edit by clicking on the arrow
toggle next to the display of the current division. Enter into

Division Editing mode and left—click on the ships you wish to fall
under the selected division. A red circle will highlight the selected
ships. Using the Division switch, toggle to the next division and
'
is fashion until all ships are
repeat the process. Continue
d
assigned to their respective
ons.
To remove a ship from a divi. on right—click on the ship or leftclick on the ship until there is no longer a circle around it.
Any ship not assigned to a division will be considered an indepen»
dent vessel. Generally. ships that are part of the main ?ghting
force (namely. Ships of The Line) are assigned to a division. while
auxiliary Vessels (such as Merchants and Transports) will remain
independent.

Assigning the Flagship

You must select a ship to be your fleet Flagship. With the Division
button highlighted. left-clicking on the desired ship will toggle
through the possible choices:

The letter F indicates the Fleet
Flagship.
A D within the circle indicates

the Division Flagship.
A simple circle means this ship
is assigned to the selected

division.

Each player must have an assigned Fleet Flagship. as well as a
Division Flagship for each division to which ships have been
assigned. It should be noted that the ?eet ?agship is the one from
which the player will view the battle in the 3D resolution phase.
While it is possible to select any class of ship to be the ?eet flag.
it is generally recommended that the most robust ship of the ?eet

be selected to provide the Admiral with increased chances of
surviving the battle.

Map Edges

Map edges can be any of the following types: Water; Land; Shoals;
Exit edge for Player 1: Exit edge for Player 2: or Exit edge for both
Players. Left—clicking on the areas highlighted in red at the edges of
the map will toggle through these choices. Land masses and shoals
provide an added navigational ha7ard which can greatly in?uence
the outcome of a battle. It is suggested that at least one exit edge
be assigned for each player so that captured ships. or those that sur—
render have opportunity to leave the area of con?ict.

Wind
The wind is very much at determining factor in battles involving
sailing ships. Via this control you can set wind type, direction and
strength. The w'ind types consist of Caribbean. Mediterranean,
Oceanic and Coastal. The directions available are: North.
Northeast. Southeast. South. Southwest and Northwest. The various
wind strengths are: Calm. Light. Brisk and Strong. The wind types
have an effect on the rate with which the wind conditions will vary
in strength and direction during any given scenario. Wind strength
and direction have a direct impact on the way sailing vessels
maneuver, and the speeds which they can attain.

Date and Time

The Day. month. year and time of day (or night) for
your battles are
_fully
customizable. Clicking on the switches beside each of these
Items allows you to toggle through all the available choices. As the
lime of day advances so to does the natural progression of daylight
states. The scenarios in Man Of War can be set through the years
1765 to 1815.

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Legend
The Legelzd button brings up the Scenario Description dialog box.
Here you provide a natne and a description for your custom sce—
nario. These will appear in the list of custom scenarios within the
Scenario Selection screen. A runn' g tally of the victory point totals
for each side’s forces is provided at the bottom ofthe dialog box.
This total should be consulted from time to time while designing
your scenario to cnsure that a properly balanced battle is created,
Click on OK to exit and retain the scenario description.
Once you have finished creating your custom scenario. click on the
Files button to bring up the Files Menu. See Saving and Loading
games for a description of the Files Menu. if the scenario has not
been ?nished. you may still save it. however a waming will be displayed indicating any elements that you are missing (i.e. missing
division or tleet tlagships). and you will not be able to start a game
involving this scenario until it is completed.

If at any point you wish to abandon the scenario you are currently
editing and start afresh. you may click on the Clear button found at
the bottom of the screen.
To exit the Scenario Editor click on the Op/ion: button to bring up
the Options pop-up and click on Quit to Main button to return you
to the Main Menu.

T]-[E SHIPS
Man Of War contains all the ship types of this era. Everything from
the small schooner up to the mighty ship—of—thc—line. Each ship
type has both strengths and weaknesses with some being better
suited to speci?c tasks than others.

Sailing Class
Sailing class represents the speed and maneuverability of a ship
type. The factors include ship size and weight and number of guns.

Smaller ships with fewer guns are faster and more nimble. Larger
ships with more guns are slower and less maneuverable. Larger
ships could sustain more damage than the smaller types. Whereas
the sailing class of a vessel has a large degree of impact on the way
it handles in combat. it is recommended that the player keep a constant watch on the damage that ships are Sustaining. Damage in
general. and mast damage in particular. can greatly decrease a ships
rnaneuverabilty, and in many cases. may even prevent the ship from
making any headway at all.

Crew Qual‘ y
Crew quality can greatly affect the outcome of a battle. Excellent
crews have better control of their ship. reload their guns faster.
repel boardings better and efficiently follow orders. Green crews
are more likely to get stuck in the wind or ?ee and surrender in the
heat of battle. Poor. Average. and Professional crews represent a
Combination of the above qualities in varying degrees. It should be
noted than even the best of crews may not fully man two ships
simultaneously. and thus whenever a ship is captured it is left with
only a token. or Prize crew. Thi' criously hampers the operation
Of the ship and
for this reason. ships that are captured (or surrendt‘-F)
will not fire their guns for the remainder of the battle.

Schooner
Ship-of-the-Line
At just over 200 feet long. with a crew of over
800, and up to I36 cannons on its three to four
decks. the Ship-of-the—Line was the pride of the

With only 2 guns. the schooner was used primarily as
a courier ship.

navy.

Merchant/Transport
Large Cruiser

Almost as large as a Ship-of-the-Line. the Large
Cruisers were less expensive to build and man.
With up to 58 cannons it was a formidable ship to
engage.

Small Cruiser
Mounting up to 28 cannons on its l5() feet. this ship
was fast and still could melee with larger ships,

Brig

125 feet long. 10 Cannons. and a crew of 200 made
this ship the ideal choice for escort duty.

Cutter

Fast and nimble. cutters could sneak in under the
cannons of much larger ships and still intlict some
damage with its 6 guns.

The whole reason for ?ghting ships was to protect the
vast merchant and transport shipping lanes world»
wide. These ships were usually fully loaded and slow
moving. The 1-3 guns on board might scare off a
pirate. but not any large ?ghting vessel. However,
most ships would
be ill advised to attempt to board a fully loaded
troop transport.

create an alias) in the Player Name slot.
The next step is to select the connection between the computers.
To exit the Multiplayer Setup click on the 0pn'on.r button and select
Quit to Main.
Note: Both playcrs must have a Man Of War CD in their respective
CD-ROM drives to start and play a multiplayer game.

Network (IPX)
For Man Of War to be played over a local area network you must
first ensure both computers are attached and “logged in” to an [PX
network. One player must be the Host and the other sclects Join a
Game. Both players must then click on the COIIIIBFI button. Once
the connection is established you will see the Scenario Selection
screen. The Host must now select either a prebuilt or custom scenario to play. See New Scenarios for a detailed description on the
scenarios. You cannot play a campaign in Multiplayer mode.
MULTIPLAYER MODE
Man Of War allows you to play any pre-built or custom scenario
against a human opponent. Both of you can play on the same computer, each taking turns (hotseat play). or you can play a
Multiplaycr game using two separate machines connected via IPX
network. Modern or Serial/Null Modem connections. Hotseat
games may be commenced in the normal manner via the Scenario
selection screen, while this section pertains primarily to games
involving two separate machines.

Starting a Multiplayer Game

Select MultipIu_vcr from the Main Menu to go to the Multiplayer
Setup screen to connect two computers together. While playing in
Multiplayer mode you can pass messages back and fonh to your
opponcnL
From the Multiplaycr Setup screen you first enter your name (or

Modem Play
Modern play requires each computer to have a modem and a phone
line. It should be decided in advance who will be the Caller and
who will Answer and which scenario is to be played. Each player
must set the following as per their modems speci?cations. (See
your modems instruction/installation manual for details).
Port: A typical configuration for the modem is COM2
(your mouse is usually on COM] ). You may have to consult your hardware documcntation to ?nd the correct sct—
tings.
TRQ: Man Of War should auto-detect the correct IRQ setting for the selected COM Port. If there is a contlict. check
your hardware documentation to futd the correct settings.

Mode: Call for Lhe Host to call the opponent or Answer for
the opponent to auto answer the calling host.
Dial: Tone or Pulse depending on your phone line.
Baud Rate: This setting is dependant on the speed of your
modem. if you have a 28.8 modem, set the baud rate at
38400.
Modem Initialization string. Modem Clear string and Modern
l-Iang»up string can all be found in your inodein"s documentation.
Phone Number: Only the Caller fills in the number to dial.
Once all is set both players click on CUI1lt(’('l. A Pop—up window
displays the connection status. Clicking on Camel will stop the
connection.
When both systems are properly connected. the Scenario Selection
screen will appear and the Host(Caller) must choose and start the
scenario.

Serial (Null Modem)
Serial or null-modem play requires a direct serial cable connection
between both machines and a null-modem adaptor. As with modern
play. the COM port and IRQ must be set. One player must set the
mode to Call and the other to Answer. Since there is no actual
modems used, the Baud Rate must be at the same setting on each
machine. Note that some serial ports on older machines cannot handle speeds over 9600 baud.

THE CAMPAIGN
Selecting Czunpuigri from the Main Menu displays a list of the
Campaigns that you currently have installed. Man Of War comes
with a single campaign that challenges you to rise through the
ranks of the British Navy. Other campaigns will be made available
as time goes by. so please refer to the Strategy First Web site for
more information.

Starting a New Campaign
Select l>\/cw Campaign from the Main Menu to bring you to the
Campaign Selection screen. From here you select the campaign
scenario you wish to play from the list. Click on Stan to begin.
If you Wish to continue playing a campaign you have previously
Started see Continuing Campaign below.
21

gt?yamjo

FWW

Saving 21 Campaign

Designers Notes:

To save your place in the campaign and continue at a later time.
click on the ()pri'r1n5 button and select Fl]L’A'. The Files menu
appears and you can type in the name in the File Name box (eg.

Whew! The end is finally in sight! With only a few days
left before Man Of War ships. I have decided to take a few minutes
and set pen to paper (or slightly numb fingers to keyboard) and
write a few words to all you gamers out there who have been the
tjght at the end of the long dark tunnel of development. Ultimately.
it is for your enjoyment that people in the game industry put in the
long hours.

MyCampl). Click on the Save button and then on the OK button to
return to the Options Menu.
Clicking on the Crime] button will close the Files menu without
saving.

Continuing a Campaign
To continue a campaign from where you last left off. select the

Oplimls button from any menu screen, then click ()[lIFl](’A'. From
the Files menu highlight the ?le name of the campaign saved game
CllCl\ on
you wish to continue and click on the Load button. Then
OK to start your campaign. You must have previously played and
saved a campaign scenario for it to appear on the list.

As an avid garner myself. both computer and tabletop. I set
out to create something unique in Man of War. Something had
been bothering me for awhile about the computer game industry.
Whereas great leaps of technology were being displayed in other
areas of computer gaming. Wargaining has always seemed to me to
be moving forward at a snails pace. Oddly enough. even though
computer wargames appeared to consistently be a couple of years
behind technologically speaking, very few complaints were ever
heard. It was almost taken for granted that wargames would have
poorer quality graphics. sound. and production values than those
expected of games in other genres. Game companies would use the
excuse that graphics were not necessary for the realism that "real“
wargame a?cionados crave. It was obvious (or so these companies
would have us believe) that the most realistic depiction of a battle
could be obtained through a computerized version of cardboard
counters on a poorly rendered hex map that you could almost see
the folds in.
_Now, I don‘t know

which wargamers these guys were talk—
mg to. but I can guarantee that the ones 1 know, who spend countless hours researching uniforms and battle standards. painting
miniatures. and building scenery in exacting detail just for that
added sense of “being there". were never consulted.
30 that brings
up the question of “why are we playing these
games anyways?“ Are we simply engaged in a strategic exercise‘?
Then why
are we satis?ed with playing against an often poorly

€%”@M§0
designed Al instead of playing a good game of chess? Are we
simply closet sadists looking for a socially acceptable form of
release? Then why aren‘t we playing one of the multitude of 3D
shooters out there? Or are we really trying to get a sense of what
it must have been like to be in the shoes of a famous historical
military leader. and answer the question "what could i have done

differently"?

WW
CREDITS

Project Leader: Justin Przedwojewski
Executive Producer: Steve Wall
Producer: Dave Hill
Game Adaptation & Design: Justin Przedwojewski. Richard
Therrien

If you happen to share my own attitude towards this hobby. then
the most
you would probably choose the latter question to be
appropriate. ln that case. l can sum up my little sanctiinonious
speech with the question "did Nelson lose his arm due to a vicious
high
it
paper cut from a hex map. or perhaps was chopped off by a
velocity cardboard counter that ricocheted off a pair of six
sided dice"?
So. many months. and caffeinated beverages later. we have Man of
War, a product which I think is strikingly different from anything
out there. It presents the age of fighting sail in the way that
ii: in the first person
wargainers have always naturally envisioned
perspective. No longer is looking out of one eye along the plane ot
your gaming table the closest you can get to a "command perspective’I and no longer do you have to spray your opponents with Spitv
tle (or more importantly your carefully painted miniatures) as you
attempt to recreate the sounds of battle. Of course, we'll have the
odd grognard who will turn nose skyward and refer to it as “Doom
with ships". but personally. I think we can stand with our feet finnly planted on the deck of the Victory and leave those nasty paper
cuts to the '‘real‘‘ wargamers.

Art Director: Richard Therrien
Artists: Nathalie Guimond, Randy Humphries. Michel Therrien.
Rene’ Therrien. Richard Therrien
Lead Programmer: Justin Przedwojewski
Programmers: Yaniek Blenkhom. James Drysdale. Stephan Giard
Music: Peter McLaughlin
Narration: Edward Wheeler
Texts: Susan Schachtei‘. Dave Hill. Richard Therrien. Steve Wall
Campaign: Richard Therrien
Lead Tester: Stacey Martin
Playtesters: Susan Schachter. Stirling Westrup. Absolute Quality

Inc.

Sound: Dave Hill
Documentation: Dave Hill. Susan Sehachter
%;))ltlArt & Design: Nathalie Guimond, Randy I-lumphries. Steve
a

Marketing: Steve Wall
Business Development: Don McFatridge
Simulations Canada Inc.
Orfginal Design: S. M. Newberg, S. St. John

-Game On!

Orgginal Programming: 5. M. Newberg, S. St. John
Original Testing: The W.I.T. Group

-Justin Przedwojewski

Special Thanks: Dr. Bernard Coupal.

Project Leader, Man Of War
July 10th, 1997

?70X

gover Painting: "The Battle of Camperdown l October

97 National Maritime Museum. London.

gt?yémgg
Footnotes

l.Rude. Revolutionary Europe. p.54
2.Dugan. The Great Mutiny. p.402
3.Paek, Sea Power in the Mediterranean. p.102
4.Cras, Twenty—Five Centuries of Sea Power. p.150
5.Cras. Twenty—Five Centuries of Sea Power. p.l5()»l51
6.Cras. Twenty-Five Centuries of Sea Power, p.166
7.Preston, History of the Royal Navy. p.86
8.Howarth. Trafalgar. The Nelson Touch. p.19

Keegan. John. The Price of Admiralty
Hutchinson. London: 1988

King. Cecil. l-l.M.S. His Majesty’s ships and their Forebears
The Studio Publications. London: l9-10
Pack, S.W.C. Sea Power in the Mediterranean
Arthur Baker Ltd,. London: 1971

Parkinson, C. Northeote. Britannia Rules
Weidenteld and Nieolson. London: 1977
Pratt. Fletcher. The Battles That Changed History
Hanover House. New York: W56.
Preston, Anthony. History ofthe Royal Navy
Greenwich House. New York: l983

Bibliography
Biesty, Stephen. Cr0ss—Secti<ms

Man—of—War

Dorling Kindersley. London: 1993.
Calvert. Brigadier Michael. Dictionary of Naval Battles, l7l5-1815
May?ower Books. New York: l979
Cras, Herve. Twenty-?ve Centuries of Sea Warfare
Potter New York: 1965
Dugan, James. The Great Mutiny
G.P. Putnam‘s Sons. New York: 1965
Howarth. David. Sovereign of'the Seas
Collins. London: 1974

Rude. George. Revolutionary Europe
Collins. London: 1964
Stokesbury. James. Navy and Empire
William Morrow & Co. Ine.. New York: 1983.
Tute, Warren. The True Glory
MacDonald and Company. London: l983

Wamer, Oliver. Great Sea Battles
Spring Books. London: 1970.
Whipple. A.B. Fighting Sail
Time-Life Books lne.. Alexandria: l978

Howarth. David. Trafalgar. The Nelson Touch
Collins. London: 1969

gt?u@t@0Y

TROUBLESHOOTING

TECHNICAL SL'PPOR’l'

Gamma correction: On some monitors the night battles may appear

Should you experience a technical problem concerning the operation of
this product. please contact our technical support stall‘. Before you call
please read the READMETXT ?le on the Man OI‘ War CD to see any
last minute l‘€L'()mlT1ErI(.lLlIl0nS pertinent It) your problem, Also. check out
the Support page on our web site listed below. When you call please be
at your contputer and have the following information available:
Computer make and model

too dark. By pressing the + key you will be able to brighten the screen.
Continue to pt'ess the + key to reach the desired screen brightness. To
reset the screen brightness press the - key.

Garbled Sound and Music: On sonte machines the music and sound

effects do not play correctly the lirst tinte playing Man Of War. Quitting
the game and restarting corrects this problem.

Windows version
Total system RAM
Total Hard Drive space
Video card make and model

Win95
Phone# (514) 846-3152 Mon—Fri. 10am-5pm EST
launching Man Of Wan‘ from a “shortcut" please ensure to

If you are
UNcheek the screen saver and check the always suspend background
from the MISC tab in the properties.

Fax#

(514) 8-'l6—05‘)3 Attn: Support

INTERNET E-mail: [email protected]
The video dis}1la_\'.i garbage when toggling berwver: windzm'r: Returning
to Man Of War from the Win95 desktop sometimes garbles the video
display. Pressing the R key will reset the display to the proper video
mode.

WorldWideWeb: lltlpi//W\VW.Sll’1ll€g) |irst.eom/

7}!

WW
SFI Limiled Warranty

Enclosed IS Lt licence agreement between you. Ihe end user. and Strategy
First lnc. (SFI)

COPYRIGHT: The product and manual are copyrighted. All rights are
writ—
reserved by SFl. You may not copy. in whole or in part. any of the
be
copied
ten material ucconrpzinying the product. The prnduct may
only as necessary for use of the product on the mic computer for which
it was purchased.
LIMITED WARRANTY Strategy First Inc. warrants the product from
rnanufncturing dcfcc ' for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of
purchase. Any implied warranties are limited to ninety (90) days
.

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