Mixed bronze-and-iron armaments remained possible, and the Vasa comparison shows how gun material and deck placement affected stability. Heavier iron guns below and lighter bronze guns above would have changed Vasa's weight distribution, but whether that would have prevented her loss remains uncertain. As two- and three-deck warships grew, their hulls already provided the height once supplied by castle-like superstructures. Fighting positions also migrated into tops and rigging to gain height over an opponent, while the overall silhouette moved toward the recognizable ship-of-the-line form.
Notable Point · 59:23-1:03:13
Gun decks replaced towering castle structures
As multi-deck ships became tall fighting platforms in their own right, separate forecastle and sterncastle structures lost tactical importance.