Nakhimov’s three 84-gun ships were reinforced by three 120-gun first rates, frigates, and steamers. Adding every weapon into a single total conceals enormous differences in weight and purpose: a small steamer’s guns did not equal a first rate’s lower-deck battery. Even within the six ships of the line, the 120-gun first rates carried roughly half again as many weapons as the 84-gun second rates. The Russian sailing fleet was a capable, comparatively uniform fighting force backed by sustained investment. The useful comparison is which weapons delivered explosive shell fire, rather than how many weapons can be placed in one total.
Chapter · 38:16-42:34
Russian firepower was more than a 722-gun total
The Russian advantage depended on heavy first- and second-rate ships, ammunition, crews, and gun types rather than a raw cannon count.