Q&A ยท 1:04:38-1:05:23

How a major refit changed a sailing warship's guns

A sailing warship leaving a major repair could carry a substantially different battery even if some individual cannon remained original.

Question

When an age-of-sail warship entered a major repair, were its cannon upgraded?

Short answer

Often the overall gun mix changed, using a combination of retained and replacement cannon rather than a simple one-for-one upgrade.

Notes

A major repair, refit, or rebuild could leave a sailing warship with a different gun mix. Some cannon might be retained from its earlier battery, while others could be replacements. Receiving different guns did not necessarily mean a simple upgrade. The resulting battery could combine original and new pieces.