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The rating system of the Royal Navy was used by the Royal Navy between the 1670s and early 19th century to categorise sailing warships according to their ability to stand in a line of battle and according to their number of guns. Cannon (large, smooth-bored, muzzle-loading guns) were counted, but not carronades (short guns which were half the weight of equivalent long guns), although rated ships could carry up to twelve 24- or 32-pounder carronades. During the Napoleonic Wars the correlation between formal gun rating and actual number of long guns or carronades carried by any individual ship was theoretical at best. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...
Events and Trends Newton and Leibniz independently discover calculus. ...
Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga class cruiser. ...
In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line. ...
A small cast-iron cannon on a carriage A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance. ...
The carronade was a short gun developed by the Carron Company, a Scottish ironworks, in 1778 for the Royal Navy. ...
The Napoleonic Wars are the wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule of France. ...
When first established, first-rates were ships of exactly 100 guns, second-rates 90 guns, third-rates 70 guns, and fourth-rates 54–60 guns. As time passed, and different ships were built with greater or fewer numbers of guns, the term was expanded to include the ranges listed below. This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
Although the rating system was only used by the Royal Navy, British authors might still use "first-rate" when referring to the largest ships of other nations or "third-rate" to speak of a French seventy-four. By the end of the 18th century, the rating system had mostly fallen out of common use, ships of the line usually being characterized directly by their nominal number of guns, the numbers even being used as the name of the type, as in "a squadron of three seventy-fours". The Seventy-four was a two-decked sailing ship of the line nominally carrying 74 guns. ...
(17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...
The rating system did not handle ships smaller than the sixth rate, the remainder simply being "unrated". The larger of the unrated vessels were generally called sloops (but be warned that nomenclature is quite confusing for unrated vessels, especially when dealing with the finer points of "brig", "sloop-of-war", "corvette" and "post-ship" and whether any particular vessel is one, the other, or several of these at once). Sixth-rate ships were generally useful as convoy escorts, for blockade duties and the carrying of dispatches; their small size made them a bit unsuited for the general cruising tasks the fifth-rate frigates did so well. This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
USS Constellation, a United States Navy sloop-of-war. ...
In sailing, a brig is a vessel with two masts at least one of which is square rigged. ...
USS Constellation, a United States Navy sloop-of-war. ...
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Post-ship was a designation used in the Royal Navy during the age of sail to describe an unrated ship (see rating system of the Royal Navy) which was, for whatever reason, and usually temporarily, commanded by a post-captain instead of a lieutenant or commander. ...
A convoy is a group of vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support. ...
A blockade is an effort usually (but not always, see below) at sea, to prevent supplies from reaching the enemy. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
Frigate is a name which has been used for several distinct types of warships at different times. ...
Rating system
| Type | Rate | Guns | Gun decks | Men | Displacement in tonnes | Notes | | Ship of the line | 1st Rate | 100 or more | 3 + forecastle
and quarterdeck | 850 to 875 | > 2,000 | The largest ships of the line. Tended to be slow and invariably expensive to operate. As a result, the few first-rates were typically reserved as admirals' flagships. The number of crew on a first rate was increased by 25 when used as the flagship of a full Admiral, by 20 for a Vice Admiral and 15 for a Rear Admiral. | | 2nd Rate | 90 to 98 | 3 + forecastle
and quarterdeck | 700 to 750 | about 2,000 | Had lighter guns on their middle and upper decks than first rates. Powerful and able to fight in the center of a line of battle, second-rates were sometimes criticised for being slow and hard to maneuver. Where a first-rate vessel was considered too expensive or vulnerable to risk, a second-rate often served as a flagship. | | 3rd Rate | 64 to 80 | 2 | 500 to 650 | 1,300–1,600 | Had two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Included the 74-gun ship, the most popular size of large ship for navies of several different nations. It was an easier ship to handle than a first or second rate ship, but still possessed enough firepower to potentially destroy any single opponent. It was also cheaper to operate. | | Frigate | 4th Rate | 50 to 60 | 2 | 320 to 420 | about 1,000 | A two-decker, but from the 18th century considered too weak to stand in the line of battle. The few that remained were relegated to convoy escort, or as flagships on far-flung stations. Some exceptionally large frigates also belonged in the fourth rate (The Royal Navy rated American "superfrigates" in this category). | | 5th Rate | 32 to 40 | 1 | 200 to 300 | 700 to 1,450 | Acted as a fast scout or an independent cruiser. | | 6th Rate | 20 to 28 | 1 | 140 to 200 | 450 to 550 | | | Sloop-of-war | Unrated | 16 to 18 | 1 | 90 to 125 | 380 | | | Gun-brig or Cutter | 6 to 14 | 1 | 5 to 25 | < 220 | | In 1817, the Royal Navy introduced a new rating system which included carronades in the count. Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
Ships of the line were 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ...
Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (Lord of the bay). ...
Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ...
The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line. ...
A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
A two-decker is a sail warship which carried her guns on two fully-armed decks. ...
The Seventy-four was a two-decked sailing ship of the line nominally carrying 74 guns. ...
Frigate is a name which has been used for several distinct types of warships at different times. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
USS Port Royal, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1994. ...
This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ...
USS Constellation, a United States Navy sloop-of-war. ...
In sailing, a brig is a vessel with two masts at least one of which is square rigged. ...
For other meanings, see cutter (baseball), cutter (tool) and self-harm. ...
The carronade was a short gun developed by the Carron Company, a Scottish ironworks, in 1778 for the Royal Navy. ...
The rating system was again modified later based more on the size of the crew.
Other uses The term first-rate has passed into general usage, as an adjective used to mean something of the best or highest quality available. Second-rate and Third-rate are also used as adjectives to mean that something is of inferior quality.
References - Michael Philips, Notes on Sailing Warships, 2000.
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