ðə ʃˈɪps wɜːɹ ˈɑːɹmd wɪð ɐ kˌɑːmbᵻnˈeɪʃən ʌv nˈaɪnˈɪntʃ mˈʌzəllˈoʊdɪŋ ɹˈaɪfəlz ˌɛmˌɛlˈɑːɹ ˌɔn mˈɛɾəl kˈæɹɪdʒᵻz ænd sˈɛvənˈɪntʃ ˌɛmˌɛlˈɑːɹz ˌɔn ɹˈoʊpwˈɜːkt kˈæɹɪdʒᵻz.
The ships were armed with a combination of 9-inch muzzle-loading rifles (MLR) on metal carriages and 7-inch MLRs on rope-worked carriages.