Rescuing sailors.

[johnhughthom]

How difficult was it in the era for other ships to rescue the sailors from sinking ships? If it was possible was it common and would ships rescue enemy sailors? I must say I find it frustrating watching sailors drown with ships nearby who could possibly rescue them. I know it would have little in game effect, but rescued sailors could possibly add crew to depleted ships rescuing them or enemy sailors could be ransomed back, especially admirals.

[Leodegar]

I'm far from being a naval expert, but two things come to my mind instantly:

Sailing ships are not that easy to stop or to turn and manouvre to a specific spot, so you would need a lot of time and most probably smaller rescue boats brought to water, which would take even more time. So it's most probable not possible during an ongoing battle. And after the battle is over, the ships will have moved on, as battles were not fought stationary but while moving. And then, even finding the spot where another ship sank would be very difficult.

Secondly, most sailors couldn't swim, so unless they found some planks to hold onto, they would simply drown.

Just my thoughts, no sources to back this, so maybe I'm completly wrong. But I strongly doubt it was possible or common to save sailors after battle.

[johnhughthom]

Secondly, most sailors couldn't swim, so unless they found some planks to hold onto, they would simply drown.

I'd forgotten about that, the rest of your answer seems sensible also.

[dulsin]

The ships typically towed their long boats behind them because having them on board cluttered the deck and added a fire hazard. Having them behind gave the sailors in the water a small chance to save themselves.

When you sailed past the drowning men it was a simple matter to cut the lines of the longboats and let them try to swim to safety. Sure most would die but trained crew were always in high demand.

[A Very Super Market]

I find it a bit silly how every sailor will jump off their ship before it even gets close to sinking.

[Marquis of Roland]

Even sillier, trying to board another ship by ordering the entire crew to climb up to the crow's nest and attemp to board enemy vessel via a long agonizing head-first dive onto the deck or into the water.

[Ordani]

How difficult was it in the era for other ships to rescue the sailors from sinking ships? If it was possible was it common and would ships rescue enemy sailors? I must say I find it frustrating watching sailors drown with ships nearby who could possibly rescue them. I know it would have little in game effect, but rescued sailors could possibly add crew to depleted ships rescuing them or enemy sailors could be ransomed back, especially admirals.

With the exception of coastal battles fought on galleys in antiquity, people who went overboard in battle almost invariably drowned, and would be difficult to distinguish from floating bodies. Keep in mind that before highly bouyant air bladders and low-density foam rubber, anyone falling in deep water was very likely to drown, particularly water below about 70'F.

Just look at the casualty rates for nearly any sinking or capsizement before about the 1930s and you can see just how few people survive a non-belligerent swim, much less one in which it would take a sailing ships hours to maneuver back to where any given person went into the water, drop a longboat, etc.