Ah! The thrill of delight...I have caught you in an error, Amos. A grievous error.

I must savour the moment. Wait....





Mmmmmmmm...




Okay, then. ;-)

A "broadside", my friend, is a broadside even if it is fired at a barrel, a seagull, a phantasm, or an empty piece of ocean. It is not defined by its target but by its source...the ship doing the firing. A broadside (in traditional wooden ships) is a simultaneous firing of all guns capable of bearing to either the port or starboard beam. In that sense it is distinguished from firing a partial volley or a "ripple" volley (a series of shots from those guns, one after another) as would often be done when crossing the stern or bow of another ship...reason being, a full broadside in such a case would cause about 3/4 of one's guns to simply miss the target, as the shots would pass harmlessly on either side of it and into the ocean!

You can fire a broadside at the bow or stern of an enemy ship if you so desire, and it has been done. It would still do a great deal of damage, particularly from astern, as wooden ships were least protected at their stern, and as the cannonballs would then fly the length of the enemy hull, inside the ship, causing terrible damage.

However, it would be more effective when passing the stern to fire one gun after another, in sequence, as they bear on the target. Not as dramatic, but far more effective. This, with a well-trained crew, could ensure 100% of your shots hitting the target. With a very poorly trained crew, one might best just fire a simultaneous broadside, I suppose, since they could handle that degree of complexity.

When passing beam-on to the enemy, a broadside is normally a good way to go, although it depends on the situation. A ripple volley is okay from the beam too. They are about equally effective in terms of doing damage.

A broadside, however, is more intimidating to the enemy, since it all happens in one overwhelming moment. This is partly why it is beloved in films and books, and indeed was popular with the real fighting ships as well. It's the most dramatic attack possible. It's also the easiest kind of attack to issue an order for: a ripple volley is much more complex, needs expert timing, and demands a highly trained crew and officers, as previously noted.

I could elaborate further, if you want me to.

*******

"Turgid", as you define it, doesn't work very well in that context.