• Eighteenth century ships needed sails to function.sails in london image by thomas owen from Fotolia.com
  
  Eighteenth century navies depended upon the wind to aid them, using sails and rudders to maneuver in battle. Occasionally oars would be used, but sails generally carried the way. Tactics of the time also relied upon the use of gunpowder, and particularly cannons, which could be fired from the decks of ships to sink other vessels. Whoever mastered them usually prevailed during the battle.
  
  

Cannon

• In the most general terms, the ship which had the largest and most numerous guns would prevail (though small numbers of such ships might face a tough fight against large numbers of ships with lighter arms). The British Navy developed a cannon known as a carronade in the 18th Century which left less room between the cannon ball and the bore of the cannon, increasing the cannon's range and reducing its overall size. This allowed them to carry more guns on their vessels and make better use of them than other ships of similar size.
  
  

The Line and Crossing the T

• Eighteenth century navies would arrange themselves in lines, with one ship in front of the other. Because cannons were positioned along the sides of the ship--the starboard and port rather than the bow or stern--this exposed the maximum number of cannons to the enemy. Fleets would then attempt to "cross the T" sailing perpendicular to the enemy's line and unloading broadside after broadside into the opponents bow (front) or stern (back). Because the bow and stern were less fortified than the sides, the fleet could often inflict heavy damage while incurring none of its own. Crossing the T relied upon gauging the wind properly and maneuvering the fleet to match it; if the fleet commander read the weather improperly, he could lead the line into disaster.
  
  

Identification and Communication

• Because so much depended on the size and number of a ship's armaments, effective intelligence was key in 18th century naval battles. Lookouts in the crow's nest needed to spot the types of ships by their sails and relay that information quickly to their commander. Many navies would send out smaller, faster ships to provide precise identification of the enemy. Such ships could not hope to prevail against a better-armed opponent, and needed to use the wind to beat a hasty retreat once they acquired the information they needed. In addition, communication between different ships was essential to attacking and defending correctly. Semaphore, or signaling with flags, was the best way to convey information. The British Navy utilized a system of 11 flags displayed at nine different points along the fleet's flagship to create 45 separate signals; they used the system throughout the 18th century. The French improved upon the model in the 1740s, allowing increasingly elaborate messages to be passed among individual fleets very quickly.