Link to the related website that has useful info: the Age of Nelson.

This forum is devoted to the Royal Navy during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793 - 1815).
And why not the other navies of the period?
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How far can you see at sea?
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garrowolf



Joined: 25 Apr 2013
Posts: 1

Post Posted: Tue May 07, 2013 10:04 am    Post subject: How far can you see at sea? Reply with quote

I am working on the Naval rules for a rpg game system and I need help with some details. I am defining certain ranges based on what kind of information can be gained about a target. I understand the horizon calculation. What I need to know is how far out can you tell an object is a ship and not a rock. How far out can you tell generally what kind of ship it is (fat merchantman versus thin warship)? How far out can you tell what kind of ship it is (Sloop versus Corvette)? How far out can you actually see a flag? How far out can you see the colors on the crew? etc.

I know that conditions, excellent eye sight, and using a telescope will all adjust this but I need the baselines to start with.
Any ideas?
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PMarione
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 883

Post Posted: Thu May 16, 2013 12:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your question is a tough one.
I think that , as you say, eye sight and quality of the optic were factors as was the eight above the sea the observer was posted.

But I believe that the most important factors were the weather and the time of the day : morning mist, sunset, position of the sun (or the moon), etc.
For the weather, there were plenty of conditions which can reduce the range of sight : waves, fog, grains, rain, etc.

So my conclusion is that its almost impossible to make a calculation and include it in a game.

Maybe other listers have other ideas ?

@+P
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PMarione
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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Post Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 12:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe you can use the Douglas Sea Scale to estimate the roughness of the sea.
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