What is Ship of the line?
[[File:Fight of the Poursuivante mp3h9426.jpg|thumb|A 17th century painting of a ship of the line]] [[File:Victory starboard.JPG|thumb|[[HMS Victory|HMS ''Victory'']] a modern ship of the line]] A '''Ship of the line''' was a kind of [[warship]]. Most ships of the line were built between the 17th and 19th century. At that time, battles were fought by many such ships, which sailed in a line. At first, such ships were sailing boats, but from about the 1840s, [[steam]]-driven ships of the line were built. The steam-powered ships of the line were still made of wood. From about 1859, the [[Ironclad warship]] replaced them. At that time, ships had [[cannon]]s. Larger ships had room for more cannons, and were therefore more likely to hit the enemy. Today, ship designs are noticeably different, as cannons are no longer used. {{multistub|military|history}} {{Sailing Vessels and Rigs|state=collapsed}} [[Category:Warships]]