A British pound was not identical to a French or Spanish pound, so nominally equivalent 42-pounders could be materially different guns. Captured cannonballs were a difficult supply for another navy's battery. Skilled crews could sometimes adapt shot with wadding and other practical measures, but interchange remained difficult. Domestic standardization could coexist with serious coalition and captured-store interoperability problems.
Notable Point · 1:37:55-1:38:48
National pound standards frustrated shot interchange
British, French, and Spanish guns with the same nominal pound rating used different shot standards, which frustrated ammunition sharing.