Hi Nightwatcher,
Yes those windows are much nicer! Perfect
On the guns, I agree with Morgan on the practical aspect, but with you on the historical/visual evidence. Morgan has actually made me think quite differently about the Revenge's last battle now.
I actually have a passion for black powder guns. I bear the scars of both burns and explosions from actually handling them often during my life. Before I got into the simulations/IT and technology field/business, I was an Artillery officer in the US Army for a decade or so. I am not at home right now, or I would supply you with some excellent illustrations from a book of mine.
In the 16th century there were some really interesting experiments going on. Bronze guns were the tried and true naval gun and preferred by all Admirals of the time. However, the English were in somewhat of an arms race with the Dutch to produce the first dependable large caliber Iron guns. The English won that race, but export was forbidden because it was considered a closely held technological state secret. That didn't last very long. Unlike the 17th century where guns were pretty much standardized by the second/third decade of the century, crazy calibers were produced.
A 24 pounder culverin was the largest you would find in the 17th century, but in the 16th there were culverines produced from 30 to even 50 pounder size. That did not mean they were better. If anything, they were more prone to blowing up, took longer to reload and didn't fire their bigger balls as far as their smaller cousins or at near the velocity.
So the Revenge had 30 pound culverines. That equates to a barrel 10 to 12 feet long and even longer when you account for the carriage. I've attached this link. Scroll down to the section on 16th century smoothbore guns. Look at figure "a" to compare length with a regular gun, and then go down to the tables below to look at stats. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20483/20483-h/20483-h.htm#page005
So you know that the Revenge in her final hours was completely surrounded by 53 (yes that's right fifty-three) Spanish galleons in the Azores in a delaying suicide action to allow Howards fleet to escape. She held off the onslaught for hours until: "until all the powder of The Revenge, to the last barrell, was now spent, all her pikes broken, fortie of her best men slain, and the most part of the rest hurt". The ship itself was "marvellous unsaverie, filled with bloud and bodies of deade and wounded men like a slaughter house". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Grenville
So you see Morgan is absolutely correct about the awkward handling of the guns. English naval guns of the time were far better than Spanish. Spanish guns were largely imported and many had only two wheel carriages. English gunners of the time were known to be able to answer the Spanish three volleys to one. The Spanish were used to ramming and swabbing the gun tube from outside/over the gun-wale. So I think the English (based even on their manning and number of gunners) really only considered using one side of the ships guns at any given time. So most of her crew would be concentrated on the engaged side in a battle.
What did she do when surrounded? Did the crew on the starboard side have to wait for its opposite gun crew on the larboard side to load and run out their gun before they could fire theirs, so the recoil didn't knock the gun across from her off her wheels? Very interesting to think about and consider.
The Revenge was a masterpiece of her time. She was the highpoint in English technology and innovation all culminating in the largest of the Racebuilt galleon designs. I have no doubt that she possessed some monster guns/ordinance.
MK