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>I am curious about the distance between the ships when >fighting in a line of battle. Especially in the >seventeenth century. > >There are sources stating that in the Battle of >Scheveningen, 8-10 August 1653, the English and Dutch >fleet fought in a single line of battle 6 miles long. >In the First Battle of Schooneveld, 7 June 1673, the >opposing fleets where 10 miles long. > >I suppose the distance between ship in the line >depended of the strenght of the wind and sea >condition, also by the location. > >Calculating that in the Battles of 1653 there where >some 100-120 ships forming a line, taking 30 meters >length to each ship, I estimated that there were some >50 meters on average between two ships. > >In contrast, at the Battles of 1673 the ships were >much larger (on average some 40 meters length) but the >lines of battle were also much larger, but there where >as much as 90 ships fighting in the line, which makes >about 140 meters between two ships. There were some >difficult weather conditions in the First Battle of >Schooneveld, rough sea, strong wind, and the proximity >of the Flemish Shoals. > >Can anyone tell me if there where fighting >instructions stipulating the approximate distance >between ships in the line? If there were, which were >the standards in the seventeenth century? >Thanks

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