The Spanish ship Rayo shows how far the supply chain for an Age of Sail warship could reach. Working back from her 1749 launch, construction time, seasoning, and the estimated age of the trees puts some of her timber's origins around 1450, before the Reconquista ended in 1492. Those dates are approximate, but they show why mature oak was a resource that could not quickly be replaced. Some trees never became suitable shipbuilding timber, and even usable wood could bend or twist beyond use while drying. Green, unseasoned wood made poor ships, so dockyards needed large stocks seasoning for years, with the associated storage and fire risks. Capturing an enemy warship secured a finished concentration of timber and labor.
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The centuries-long supply chain behind a sailing fleet
Trafalgar's ships were the end product of timber that could have begun growing centuries before the battle.