The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tactics were in widespread use by 1675.
Two fleets in their line of battle during the Battle of Cuddalore
Nicholas Pocock, The Battle of Copenhagen, 2 April 1801 (undated), Royal Museums Greenwich
The Fourth Portuguese India Armada of 1502, from the Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu [pt])
The Battle of Dover (19 May 1652), depicted in British Battles on Land and Sea (1873)
Naval tactics and doctrine is the collective name for methods of engaging and defeating an enemy ship or fleet in battle at sea during naval warfare, the naval equivalent of military tactics on land.
A five-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. In four descending columns, from the top left to the bottom right: Maestrale, De Grasse; USS John C. Stennis, Charles de Gaulle, Surcouf; USS Port Royal, HMS Ocean, USS John F. Kennedy, HNLMS Van Amstel ; and Luigi Durand de la Penne
Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikrant launches an Alize aircraft
![The Fourth Portuguese India Armada of 1502, from the Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu [pt])](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Gama_armada_of_1502_%28Livro_de_Lisuarte_de_Abreu%29.jpg/640px-Gama_armada_of_1502_%28Livro_de_Lisuarte_de_Abreu%29.jpg)
