Ships of the Line
SHIPS OF THE LINE
SHIPS OF THE LINE, or line-of-battle ships, were the eighteenth-and early nineteenth-century counterparts of modern first-class battleships. The first U.S. ship of this type, the America, was launched at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 5 November 1782, and was given to the French. In 1813 Congress authorized four more, none of which saw action. In 1816 Congress authorized nine more ships of the line, including the Vermont, North Carolina, and Ohio, all burned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 20 April 1861. None of these ships was ever engaged in battle. The introduction of steam, explosive shells, and armor plate rendered them obsolete before they could be used in warfare.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lavery, Brian. The Ship of the Line. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1984.
Louis H.Bolander/a. r.
See alsoArmored Ships ; Ironclad Warships ; Navy, United States ; Warships .