Gunport Regulations - France and Spain

[Jeffrey Modell]

I am looking for information on the height and sizing of gunports. For example, David Steel's THE SHIPWRIGHTS VADE-MECUM includes a table with the height above deck and size of gunports for various ships. The first book of Jean Boudroit's four-volume series on French 74's refers to the Regulation of 1762 as providing the height and size of gunports by weight of the cannon ball.

1) Does anyone know where I can find the French Naval Regulation of 1762? Closest I found was 1765 and it did not have any gunport tables.
2) Does anyone know if there is a similar Spanish regulation and where to find it? I have noticed that the ports on some Spanish ships are unusually small compared to, say, English draughts or Chapman's table. Further, the height of the sill is very low on a series of xebecs, likely to keep the center of gravity low.

I have done tables with info measured from various draughts but am simply not satisfied there is a single, definite solution. I hope the regulations will provide me with more comfort when resizing a Spanish plan to a later, larger version.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[AllanKP69]

Hi Jeffrey,

Have you contacted the Musée national de la Marine in Paris or Museo Naval in Madrid? They may have information or might be able to steer you to a source.

I did a quick search and the following came up. I have no idea if any these would be worthwhile for your particular research.
Allan

Copies of the French Navy Regulations from 1762 (often referred to as Ordonnances du Roi concernant la marine) can be found primarily through French national digital archives and specialized historical books focusing on the era of Louis XV
Sources

• Gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France): This is the best source for digital, original documents. You can find specific 1762 ordinances, ".
• Archives nationales de France (Paris): The original manuscripts and printed copies are held in the national archives.
• Service Historique de la Défense (SHD): The French Defense Historical Service in Vincennes holds extensive records on naval regulations and administration (often cataloged as part of the "Série Marine").