The video pauses over the order of battle to show why nominal ship categories cannot describe a fleet's condition on their own. British flagships and several hard-fighting seventy-fours entered 1 June with damaged masts or rigging from the running actions. Marlborough and Defence would be completely dismasted, while Brunswick and other ships suffered severe casualties. Even ships of the same rate carried different levels of damage, leadership, and crew confidence into the fight. The comparison turns the fleet list into a readiness assessment rather than a simple count of guns and hulls.
Notable Point · 1:33:29-1:38:05
The order of battle concealed damaged ships
Lists of first, second, and third rates hid major differences in rigging damage, casualties, officer losses, and real fighting readiness.