REPLY: English Rating of Fighting Sail (fwd)

I thought this might be of some interest.  It's mildly off topic, but not
too bad (I hope).

Rich Gant
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 14:36:04 -0500
From: H-War Editor Mark Parillo <war@???.edu>
Reply-To: H-NET Military History Discussion List <H-WAR@?-???.???.edu>
To: H-WAR@?-???.???.edu
Subject: REPLY: English Rating of Fighting Sail

From: GMegargee@?????.org
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 12:59:33 -0400

The following information is from the website of the National Maritime
Museum in Greenwich, England (http://www.nmm.ac.uk).  Unfortunately it does
not answer Dr. Lynn's question as to *when* the system came into being --
sorry, John -- but it at least gives a clear explanation of the system for
those who are not familiar with it.  If no one else can come up with the
date, an inquiry to the museum might be a good next step (but it costs money).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Why are Royal Navy sailing ships sometimes described as 'First Rate',
'Third Rate,' etc.?

A ship's 'rate' was basically decided by the number of guns she carried,
from the largest 120-gun First Rate, down to Sixth Rate 20-gun ships. The
smaller 'unrated' vessels (sloops, brigs, bomb vessels, etc) were
commanded by more junior officers (Commanders, Lieutenants), but a 'rated'
ship was always a Captain's command and always ship rigged, that is with
three square rigged masts.

First Rate: The biggest ships of the fleet, with their gun batteries
carried on three decks, were generally used as flagships and fought in the
centre of the line-of-battle. 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 nowadays).

Second Rate: The Second Rate ships of the line were also three-deckers,
but smaller, and thus cheaper, versions of the First Rates. They mounted
between 90 and 98 guns, and, like the First Rates, fought in the centre of
the line-of-battle. Generally around the 2000 ton mark, they had a crew of
approximately 750. Like the First Rates, they had 32 pounder guns on the
gundeck, but 18 pounders instead of 24 pounders on the middle deck, with
12 pounders on the upper deck (compared to 18 or 24 pounders on First
Rates). Both First and Second Rates carried lighter guns or carronades on
their forecastles and quarterdecks. Unlike the First Rates, which were too
valuable to risk in distant stations, the Second Rates often served
overseas as flagships. They had a reputation for poor handling and slow
sailing.

Third Rate: The most numerous line-of-battle ships were the two-decker
Third Rates, with between 64 and 80 guns. 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, and forming the core of
the battlefleet. They carried 32 pounder guns on the gundeck and 18
pounders on the upperdeck, with a crew of 600 to 650 men.

Fourth Rate: Two decker ships of 50 to 60 guns, were, by the end of the
18th century, no longer reckoned to be 'fit to stand in the line of
battle'. Despite this, 50 gun ships were heavily engaged, in the line, at
the battles of Camperdown and Copenhagen. With two decks, their extra
accomodation made them suitable flagships for minor overseas stations,
while their relatively shallow draught made them suitable as headquarter
ships for anti-invasion operations in the North Sea and the English
Channel. They were also useful as convoy escorts, troopships and even, on
occasion, as convict transports. In normal service they had a main
armament of 18 pounders, a crew of 350 and measured around 1000 tons.

Fifth Rate: These were the frigates, the Navy's 'glamour ships'. With
their main armament on a single gundeck, they were the fast scouts of the
battlefleet, when not operating in an independent cruising role, searching
out enemy merchant ships, privateers or enemy fleets. Developed from
early-18th century prototypes, the Fifth Rates of Nelson's time had a
variety of armaments and gun arrangements, from 32-gun ships armed with 12
pounders to 36 and 38-gun frigates with 18 pounders, even some 40-gun
ships and cut down two-deckers with 24 pounders. Captured enemy frigates
were also used in service, and many of the best British-built ships were
copied or adapted from French designs. All classes carried lighter guns
and carronades on the quarterdeck and forecastle. Their tonnage ranged
from 700 to 1450 tons, with crews of 250 to 300 men.

Sixth Rate: The Sixth Rates were smaller and more lightly armed frigates,
with between 22 and 28 nine-pounder guns, a crew of about 150, and
measuring 450 to 550 tons. There were never enough frigates; while Lord
Nelson was searching for the French fleet before the battle of the Nile he
said, 'Frigates! Were I to die this moment, want of frigates would be
found engraved on my heart!'

Unrated vessels included the following:

Sloop: A sloop of war was a vessel commanded by an officer with the rank
of Commander. Sloops could be armed with between 10 and 18 guns, be ship
rigged or brigs (two-masted square rig) and were capable of most of the
tasks undertaken by frigates, with the exception of fleet reconnaisance.
They were often armed with carronades, giving them a heavy punch at close
range. The cruiser class was the most numerous class of sailing warships
ever built, over 100 of these 380 ton, 18 gun brig sloops being built.
They carried a crew of 120 men.

Bomb vessels and fireships: Developed from two-masted craft (ketches)
armed with mortars for shore bombardment, and first used by the French in
the late 17th century, the bomb vessel of the late 18th century had ship
rig. These strongly built ships were sometimes used for naval expeditions
to the Arctic: the young midshipman Nelson made one such voyage in the
Carcass. The fireship, intended as a means of setting an enemy ship on
fire, was often a converted merchantship, though some were specially built
for the Royal Navy. Both the bomb vessel and the fireship were only seldom
used in their designed role, but proved useful as patrol or convoy escort
sloops.

Gunboats and gunbrigs: These were small, two-masted vessels, a
Lieutenant's command, and originally intended for anti-invasion patrol.
Later, they developed into more capable vessels, fit for a variety of
tasks. They were built to a wide variety of classes, and often had
evocative names, for instance Grappler, Growler and Griper were three
'Courser' Class gunbrigs.

Cutters: Developed from craft used by English smugglers, these single
masted vessels were built for speed. They were employed as patrol boats
and despatch carriers. Schooners, two masted fore- and aft-rigged vessels
developed from American types, were similarly used.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Geoff Megargee