Two decker ships of 50–60 guns were no longer ‘fit to stand in the line of battle’ by the end of the 18th century. The most effective and numerous of these was the 74-gun ship, in many ways the ideal compromise of economy, fighting power and sailing performance, which formed the core of the battle fleet.
The most numerous line-of-battle ships were the two-decker Third Rates with 64–80 guns. They had a reputation for poor handling and slow sailing. Unlike the First Rates, which were too valuable to risk in distant stations, the Second Rates often served overseas as flagships. Generally around the 2000 ton mark, they had a crew of about 750. They mounted between 90 and 98 guns, and like the First Rates fought in the centre of the line-of-battle. The Second Rate ships of the line were also three-deckers, but smaller and cheaper. They were armed with a minimum of 100 heavy cannon, carried a crew of about 850 and were over 2000 tons Builder’s Measure (a formula for calculating the capacity of the ship, not the displacement of the ship as is the practice today). They were generally used as flagships and fought in the centre of the line-of-battle. First Rateįirst Rate ships were the biggest of the fleet with their gun batteries carried on three decks. Captains commanded rated ships, which were always ship rigged – meaning they had three square-rigged masts. There were six rates of warship.Ī ship’s rate was basically decided by the number of guns she carried, from the largest 120-gun First Rate, down to the Sixth Rate 20-gun ships. The rating system of the British Royal Navy was used to categorise warships between the 17th and 19th centuries. Rated Navy ships in the 17th to 19th centuries
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