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Algerian Xebecs, 1768 (With Plans)


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Algerian Xebec


 


The xebec (French chébec/chébeck) was a lightly-constructed vessel of the Mediterranean Sea that featured lateen sails as well as oars. Developed from the long, narrow oar-powered galleys of ancient times, xebecs were fast vessels able to sail close to the wind because of their triangular sails. This, as well as their shallow draft and ability to use oars when becalmed made them popular with pirates, as they could catch merchant ships and run away from warships. Being able to outrun a warship was important as, in a quote that has been credited to Thomas Jefferson (but I am unable to confirm) the xebec was “so light as not to stand the broadside of a good frigate.”


 


wm_Vilhelm_Melbye_-_Xebecs_and_other_shi


 


BBpKlds.jpg


oEXUbto.jpg


 


Smaller Sister ship


 


wm_Chebec_espagnol_en_1826.jpg


 


ponPPoA.gif


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Second picture reminds me a Cacafuego from Master & Commander, but a little smaller ;P If there wasn't a signature under the picture i could say it seems to be polacca (polacre) - single piece masts, square rigged and hull type somtehing beetwen Xebec and frigate.

It would be great to see something like xebex/frigate El Gamo or classic xebec in game.

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the xebec corsair polaris was dangerous,,it had the man power to take a frigate,,and this game could use some exotic ships.even the junk,and i dont care if they were over in the med and east they cud of been built anywhere by a good ship builder

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So sexy! and also if they can outrun frigates then they are the ships for me.

 

It may outrun the frigate on certain points of sail, but a single broadside from said frigate can and should sink it.  These craft featured very little reinforcement and were singularly unable to take direct cannon fire.  They were also generally unable to tack without striking the booms, a long and involved process, and that is a weakness that must be implemented in game to help prevent these vessels from becoming the go-to rage board machines they were in PotBS.

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It may outrun the frigate on certain points of sail, but a single broadside from said frigate can and should sink it.  These craft featured very little reinforcement and were singularly unable to take direct cannon fire.  They were also generally unable to tack without striking the booms, a long and involved process, and that is a weakness that must be implemented in game to help prevent these vessels from becoming the go-to rage board machines they were in PotBS.

I just read that Algerian xebecs wore instead of tacked, but I can't see why. Couldn't they come about the normal way, provided they were willing to put up with the bad tack?

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It may outrun the frigate on certain points of sail, but a single broadside from said frigate can and should sink it.  These craft featured very little reinforcement and were singularly unable to take direct cannon fire.  They were also generally unable to tack without striking the booms, a long and involved process, and that is a weakness that must be implemented in game to help prevent these vessels from becoming the go-to rage board machines they were in PotBS.

I've been attacked by larger ships which could decimate me in a single broadside and superior numbers quite a lot because I play as France, so I am getting good at not getting shot. Also remember that in Naval Action, smaller ships can survive much more than they could in real life, because of how repairs work. As for the raising and lowering sails, remember in Naval action that process does not take long at all on smaller ships. That in addition to the fact that I don't tack a lot when I evade enemies. When utilized as a warship in a navy they will suffer, but as a pirate ships I think they will be excellent.

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refitting to square sails will take quite a while. But I doubt that it will be enabled in fight (if they consider doing this in the first place)

I could imagine this ability to be used on the open sea. A nice addition to get these ships versatility.

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Those 24 guns.. what caliber will they be? I guess at the most 9lb. Xebecs are fragile ships and big guns' recoil will mess up their sides in no time.

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dont confuse a xebec with a galley.

Xebecs dont have oars as primary equipment. Which doesnt mean they never did carry those as an addition. (there are quite a few ships which carried oars. up to corvette sized ships)

 

What they are very good at is sailing upwind. You wont catch her with any kind of squarerigged ship. And no schooner has the armament to fight these vessels.

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dont confuse a xebec with a galley.

Xebecs dont have oars as primary equipment. Which doesnt mean they never did carry those as an addition. (there are quite a few ships which carried oars. up to corvette sized ships)

 

What they are very good at is sailing upwind. You wont catch her with any kind of squarerigged ship. And no schooner has the armament to fight these vessels.

He probably think that Xebecs are very good at very low wind not at no wind at all and he is wright.Xebec are in very top when we talk about very small wind speed.

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I just read that Algerian xebecs wore instead of tacked, but I can't see why. Couldn't they come about the normal way, provided they were willing to put up with the bad tack?

 

Sorry for the late response.

 

There are two ways to tack a lateen rig (I think we discussed this in the sailing focus, but I'll post it here for the general playerbase):

 

1.  You just tack.  The sail will deform against the mast and lose efficiency (will not provide as much thrust).

2.  You must furl sail, strike the boom to the deck, move it to the other side, and rehoist it.

 

Unlike the gaff or marconi rig, or the newer style spanker setup on the square rig, the booms are rigged part of the way up the boom itself, making swinging it to the opposite tack impossible without either striking and rehoisting the sail, or just letting it press against the boom.  I'm told that lateen rigged vessels carried extra sail handlers, and that furling/striking/rehoisting wasn't a huge deal, but it is certainly slower to accomplish than on a gaff or marconi rigged vessel.

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