1st Rate - Ships with over 90 guns Three-deckers, main fleet flagships
2nd Rate - Ships with over 80 guns Three-deckers
3rd Rate - Ships with over 54 guns Two-deckers, the mainstay of battle fleets
4th Rate - Ships with over 38 guns One-decker frigates
5th Rate - Ships with over 18 guns like corvettes, which could also be rowed
6th Rate - Ships with over 6 guns Small auxiliary and courier vessels for the fleet
Others/None - I stay in the admiralty
I certainly incline towards the 74 - but also have a soft spot for HMS Glatton - only a 54, but all 64 or 32 pdr carronades - she threw a greater weight of metal than any contemporary 1st rate - and as a bonus, she was commanded (at Copenhagen) by none other than William Bligh. What's not to love?
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