Santísima Trinidad: firepower versus stability

Santísima Trinidad was effectively a four-decker, although her reported armament varied as guns were added, removed, or counted differently. Joining her forecastle and quarterdeck in 1795 provided space for another battery of light guns. She belongs to a rare group alongside USS Pennsylvania and France's Valmy, while Britain's proposed Duke of Kent four-decker was never built. Upper-deck weight raised concerns about stability and sailing ability, and some officers argued that she should remain in Cádiz Bay. Some upper guns may have been removed before sailing. Stowing light guns low in the hull was another way to use them as ballast and lower the center of mass. Political and admiralty pressure favored a larger deterrent, but the hull still had to carry and use its weapons safely.