Rotting Hull

Ok folks

I have ships that have developed "rotting hull". I feel sure I have read in one of the rule supplements that if your ships develop this you need to research a cure but despite going through the booklets, I can't find that reference right now.

So, can anyone else recall this advice? If so, do I need to get a shipwright academy to research it or can it be done by a 'naval' academy?

Thanks in advance

Improved coppering (research breakthrough) should help but it will cost to put this on all ships. Standard coppering have some issues (it may fall off). Otherwise the only solution (I think) is to repair any rot as it appears.

Only game reference I know is the one Ardagor points out. If you use regular coppering without the research advance it can sometimes cause this.

Thanks folks

I suspect that this is just another variant of the random SL that can happen to any unit.

I sometimes get SL on units that haven't done anything and are just garrisoning a town. I haven't ever had a ship come up with a rotting hull yet, but think it's just random bad luck mostly.

I think you're right. It does seem more common in Russia I have noticed (think that might be reflecting history? Didn't the Russian fleet at this period find it used the wrong wood and its ships rotted very quickly?)

The first Russian Fleet was built of fresh timber. The Russians was not experienced shipbuilders and Tsar Peter wanted a fleet Now. The quality was necessarily low. Peter then hired lots of foreign (mostly Dutch) shipbuilders, naval officers etc. To the extent that the Swedes complained that they where fighting a Russian fleet built by the Dutch, manned by Dutch crew and using Dutch cannon and ammunition.

Thanks, that was the story I was thinking of

In the days of timber built ships picking up barnicles and weed growth on the bottom of the ship was pretty standard and any ship in port after a long time at sea or about to go on a long trip would get its bottom cleaned, decayed timbers replaced, sails patched and change worn rigging as a matter of routine maintenance.

Failure to carry out such essential maintenance was a particular problem for ships spending a long time at sea without access to ports and dockyards (such as Pirates) and could very easily be fatal. At one stage Agema had players pay 10% of upkeep costs to repair ships in poor condition due to general W & T or battle damage but it now seems to be included in Sickness Level and general upkeep costs.

But getting "Rotton Hulls" shown on your sheet seems to have continued as a way of pointing out ships have been at sea too long & as a nod towards Naval Commanders historic problems. Lucky Richard does not also go in for Scurvey, Yellow fever, Water gone Rancid, Out of Rum etc, etc.

As well as eventually sinking your ship when the bottom fell out marine growth on its bottom also sharply reduced its speed by ruining its lines and increasing its drag through the water. So ships crews spent a lot of time on the hard and backbreaking work of cleaning ships bottom's. This was not only hard on crews but a ship in port doing maintenance is not earning money or doing its job if military. To reduce the time in port the C18 saw the introduction of copper sheeting on the bottoms of ships.........Barnacles and marine worms do not like the taste and are slower to get a grip.

Oddly while in game coppering your ships seems to help with the maintenance I have not seen it give a speed advanatage which is odd as it was one of the main reasons why British Ships supplied by the Swansea Copper Industry were able to outsail opponents which when bought into the British Navy and fitted with a nice clean copper bottom were some of the fastest ships in the British Navy.

The odd thing is the ships in question have been sitting in port for months, well they'll have to sit there for a bit longer now...

Jason wrote:The odd thing is the ships in question have been sitting in port for months, well they'll have to sit there for a bit longer now...

Clearly the Scots Navy have been spending too much time in the pub and not enough time making sure their bottoms are kept clean and water tight. I blame the drinking culture at the top of the Scots Government seeping down to the lower classes.

Scots...spend too much time in the pub...

...nope...not sure that is possible...

Jason wrote:Scots...spend too much time in the pub...

...nope...not sure that is possible...

If spending too much time in the Pub is not the problem.......perhaps Scots could try abandoning the practice of using timbers from empty Whiskey barrels to build ships? Its the fine malt flavour of the timber......those pesky marine worms just can not stop themselves. Just one more plank for the road

Just to put Stuart's mind at rest, it's not the Royal Scots Navy that is having this problem...but when the Scottish sailors aren't in the pub drinking whisky they are busy practising how to do hangman's nooses...just in case

I reckon you need to invest in a ports and harbour inspectorate. Harbour Admirals and Harbour Masters and Master Tradesmen, with workshops and work gangs. Pay them double wages. Then the ships should be good while in harbour or in the ordinary.

What is the Scottish equivalent to Trinity House, just out of interest?

Might be something else that you could invest in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_House

The Northern Lightbouse Board https://www.nlb.org.uk/ Oddly was walking pass their Edinburgh head office last Friday...one of my long term ambitions for G10 is to create it (and uber it slightly by adding in lifeboats to its remit)

Cool. Maybe something else for players to do is commission depth charts for local waterways that see heavy trade traffic, and invent/introduce navigation buoys to help show routes of safe passage. Might help trade and increase ship travel time by a very small fraction.

No good to Rozwi, so I'll you leave you civilised sorts to have fun

Jason wrote:

Just to put Stuart's mind at rest, it's not the Royal Scots Navy that is having this problem...but when the Scottish sailors aren't in the pub drinking whisky they are busy practising how to do hangman's nooses...just in case  

Agggggghhhhh! Has the Scots Navy finally managed to build a ship which can catch a French Frigata with improved sail & rigging & a copper bottom when its sailed by a crack crew?

Better get my Escort Frigates out of training in case the hemp happy Northern Barbarians catch up with me.

Stuart Bailey wrote:

Jason wrote:

Just to put Stuart's mind at rest, it's not the Royal Scots Navy that is having this problem...but when the Scottish sailors aren't in the pub drinking whisky they are busy practising how to do hangman's nooses...just in case  

Agggggghhhhh! Has the Scots Navy finally managed to build a ship which can catch a French Frigata with improved sail & rigging & a copper bottom when its sailed by a crack crew?

Better get my Escort Frigates out of training in case the hemp happy Northern Barbarians catch up with me.  

After a couple of good sized whiskies, the Royal Scots Navy can catch Usain Bolt...

Jason wrote:
After a couple of good sized whiskies, the Royal Scots Navy can catch Usain Bolt...

Pity about the navigation problem................drunk in charge of a ship sailing at high speed in the Western Isles.

Sounds like something from the Chronicles of the Prussian yacht squadron or the Russian Navy.

Don't worry, unlike the Russians and Prussians, the Scots have a long history of sailing even under the influence (a legacy of a lot of the maritime communities being the descendants of Vikings )

Jason wrote:Don't worry, unlike the Russians and Prussians, the Scots have a long history of sailing even under the influence (a legacy of a lot of the maritime communities being the descendants of Vikings )

Was not Russia a state established by Vikings? Being the great, great, great, great, great, great Grandson of Oleg the Wizard and the founders of Kiev never seems to help them.

Ahh, Russia was founded by the wrong sort of Vikings Swedish ones whereas Scotland had good Norwegian Vikings turn up