Now this one is tough. 
I had to consult my Top 10 Gunships Ranking thread (which may need revision) to check some stuff out… but here we’re ranking them overall as ships, not just purely as gunships. Otherwise my list would follow that one more.
My rankings:
1. Le Bonaparte
stupid thing 
I’m so biased against this trash that I really have a hard time even acknowledging it. 
2. Blackwatch / HMS Gallows
-Blackwatch has a slight edge in being a pure gunship, Gallows gets the edge for hybrid use.
3. USS Kettering
-Hmmm. Not sure if this should be higher on this list AND my best gunships list… the durability is still too much of an issue though I think.
4. Le Superbe
-No surprise considering my gunships list. Better cannons, cargo and ability than Deliverance. Tough choice though!
5. Deliverance
-I think you’ve become too obsessed with LE Griffin. 
6. Divine Dragon
-Basically 6 rank-3 cannons with a fantastic link and plenty of cargo and speed for a ship like this. With the lack of Cursed world haters, I don’t see the need to try and make her cannons any better. I have seen this thing dominate various campaigns and situations, though I might be biased due to that history and the crew setups I usually put aboard. (such as Davy Jones … )
7. HMS Dauntless / El Cristal del Obispo
-(Dauntless) I need that firepower haha. Gets overshadowed by the Endeavour a bit, but a very good gunship.
The Cristal is nice and has underrated potential as a hybrid. I can imagine Luis Zuan / Dominic Freda /helmsman/oarsman in a largish game… oof.
8. Harbinger
-I wouldn’t blame someone for putting this as high as 6. Overshadowed by the original, and as a result one of the most underrated Pirate ships out there I would say.
9. La Ville de Paris
-LOVE the ship, I mean come on! XD Yay Wizkids for that. But really, this is supposed to be a mostly objective ranking of the best ships at this cost, and speed matters a LOT. Reminds me of my thematically favorite ship, HMS Lord Algernon . Realistic and cool, just not perfect for gameplay.
10. USS Mercury
-No disagreement here, especially with my “personal” difference on 2L vs 3S guns. (3S have been my nemesis many times in the past…)
In a strange way, the Nautilus’ great ability isn’t always that useful to her. A lot of times I’ve seen her just underwater for ramming, and as an escort for larger ships in big games. I feel like when you go after either of these, you go after them hard. As in, with multiple cancellers. XD This is often necessary just to deal with them. As a result, with enough cancelling the difference between abilities can be somewhat (literally) negated.
Nautilus would be my #11.
Other Honorable Mentions? El Rosal , Terror , Poor Adams
Honestly the Rook’s Folly is a pretty bad ship. I’d rather just use the Death’s Angel. 
Original thread on Miniature Trading