Strategy
This is the ultimate wooden ship. While not as fast as the Frigate, the Ship of the Line receives a significant bonus against its quicker rival, making it the top of the naval pecking order.
Civilopedia entry
Ships of the Line were the largest vessels deployed during the height of the European wooden navies, from the seventeenth until the mid-nineteenth century. In naval strategy, the most powerful ships of each respective navy would often form into lines and unleash a barrage upon their rivals. Ships of the Line, as they were known, usually carried 80 or more guns, but this extra-heavy armament cost the vessel dearly in maneuverability.