A first-rate ship was usually the flagship of an admiral and carried over 100 cannons on her four decks. She measured 200 feet and up and her crew numbered more than 800 men. Her fire power was enormous.

A second-rate ship could be easily mistaken for a first-rate ship. She carried up to 95 cannons on her three or four decks. Her crew counted 740 men and she measured bow to stern about 195 feet.

Third-rate ships came in various sizes and carried 65, 75 and 80 guns. An 80-gun ship had three decks and a crew of 720. A 75 and 65 gun ship had two gun decks and carried respectively 620 and 495 men. The British Navy used more 75-gun ships than any other ship type. These ships proved to offer the best balance of speed and power.

A fourth-rate ship was a two-decker and carried between 50 to 56 cannons. Usually it used a crew of 340 men. She was relatively inexpensive to maintain and functioned well at the head of cruiser squadrons but had the disadvantage of being too undersized, underarmed and lacking the speed of frigates.

Ships of this class were single-decker frigates and ranged in lenght from 130 to 150 feet. Frigates carried from 30 up to 44 guns. Their crews ranged from 210 up to 300 men. Frigates were the ships of choice when attacking enemy merchant ships.

Sixth-rate ships were small frigates measuring up to 125 feet. They carried between 20 and 28 cannons. Crews ranged from 135 to 200 men. These ships have been mostly used as curiers and escorting convoys.

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