I would say that this is a poor resource for Men of the Sea. For various reasons (see below), the plots don't translate to Glorantha.
A large problem with that stuff is going to be the fact that 17th-19thC naval combat is primarily concerned with cannons. Blasting or threatening your opponents with them, shiphandling to avoid broadsides from them, staying out of range of more powerful ones, etc. One or two catapults are just not the same as a multi-gun broadside for damage or effects on tactics. Also, the shiphandling capabilities of a two- or three-decker are likely to be rather different from the undoubtedly smaller craft that most of the Gloranthans are using.
Another problem with the Hornblower model is that the culture of the French and Royal Navies, with their centralised commands, shipbuilding yards, supply systems, ability to impress large numbers of unwilling crew, and necessity of staying out to sea for weeks or months at a time, would all be alien to any culture in Glorantha at this point. Remember that the Closing only ended in 1580, as far as most of the seas are concerned. That's nowhere near enough time to get something as complex and tradition-ridden as the RN and its highly-designed ships into the water. It also makes some of the political considerations that Hornblower had to take into account irrelevant, too.
A better model to use would be the Classical period, with Persian, Roman, Greek and Egyptian ships fighting it out in the Med. Or perhaps the Chinese use of junks. Mostly coastal shipping, smaller ships, lots of oarpower, simpler sail designs, plenty of pirates, and so on. Unfortunately, I don't know of anyone who's written any novels based on any of these periods concentrating on a seaman's life. Anyone else know of any?
Alison
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