Fighting Instructions, 1530-1816 | Page 5

a separate body on the flanks of the main
body, so that they can see what happens on one side and on the other.

He should admonish and direct every one of the ships that she shall
endeavour to grapple with the enemy in such a way that she shall not
get between two of them so as to be boarded and engaged on both sides
at once.[4]
* * * * *
Having directed and set in order all the aforesaid matters, the
captain-general should then marshal the other three-quarters of the fleet
that remain in the following manner.
He should consider his position and the direction of the wind, and how
to get the advantage of it with his fleet.
Then he should consider the order in which the enemy is formed,
whether they come in a close body or in line ahead,[5] and whether
they are disposed in square bodies or in a single line,[6] and whether
the great ships are in the centre or on the flanks, and in what station is
the flagship; and all the other considerations which are essential to the
case he should take in hand.
By all means he should do his best that his fleet shall have the
weather-gage; for if there was no other advantage he will always keep
free from being blinded by the smoke of the guns, so as to be able to
see one to another; and for the enemy it will be the contrary, because
the smoke and fire of our fleet and of their own will keep driving upon
them, and blinding them in such a manner that they will not be able to
see one another, and they will fight among themselves from not being
able to recognise each other.
Everything being now ready, if the enemy have made squadrons of
their fleet we should act in the same manner in ours, placing always the
greater ships in one body as a vanguard to grapple first and receive the
first shock; and the captain-general should be stationed in the centre
squadron, so that he may see those which go before and those which
follow.
Each of the squadrons ought to sail in line abreast,[7] so that all can see

the enemy and use their guns without getting in each other's way, and
they must not sail in file one behind the other, because thence would
come great trouble, as only the leading ships could fight. In any case a
ship is not so nimble as a man to be able to face about and do what is
best.[8]
The rearguard should be the ships that I have called the supports, which
are to be the fourth part of the fleet, and the lightest and best sailers; but
they must not move in rear of the fleet, because they would not see well
what is passing so as to give timely succour, and therefore they ought
always to keep an offing on that side or flank of the fleet where the
flagship is, or on both sides if they are many; and if they are in one
body they should work to station themselves to windward for the
reasons aforesaid.
And if the fleet of the enemy shall come on in one body in line
abreast,[9] ours should do the same, placing the largest and strongest
ships in the centre and the lightest on the flanks of the battle, seeing
that those which are in the centre always receive greater injury because
necessarily they have to fight on both sides.
And if the enemy bring their fleet into the form of a lance-head or
triangle, then ours ought to form in two lines [_alas_], keeping the
advanced extremities furthest apart and closing in the rear, so as to take
the enemy between them and engage them on both fronts, placing the
largest ships in the rear and the lightest at the advanced points, seeing
that they can most quickly tack in upon the enemy opposed to them.
And if the enemy approach formed in two lines [_alas_], ours ought to
do the same, placing always the greatest ships over against the greatest
of the enemy, and being always on the look-out to take the enemy
between them; and on no account must ours penetrate into the midst of
the enemy's formation [_batalla_], because arms and smoke will
envelope them on every side and there will be no way of relieving
them.
The captain-general having now arrayed his whole fleet in one of the
aforesaid orders according as it seems best to him for giving battle, and

everything being ready for battle, all shall bear in mind the signals he
shall have appointed with flag or shot or topsail, that all may know at
what time to attack