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Originally Posted by wajdi
Just a weird question from left field: what is the effect of sea-growth on the ship's bottom? Say. . . ship's owner/master has neglected to careen and scrape the bottom.
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I've seen a reference that gives about a 20% decrease in speed due to marine growth on a hull. I know in the period SOP in the RN was for ship's laid up in harbor to be cleaned once every three years. But an Act of Parliament in 1708 stated that fast ships were to have their bottoms cleaned once every four months.
Marine growth was combated in a variety of ways through the period: the white stuff, the black stuff, the brown stuff, tallowing, wood sheathing, lead sheathing and copper sheathing.