Information About ™Fourth-rate |
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In the British Royal Navy , a fourth-rate was, during the 18th Century , a Ship Of The Line mounting 50-60 guns . Though used largely during the Seven Years' War , by the time of the American Revolution and especially the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , the fourth rate was 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; a number were also converted to troopships, armed only "en flûte". Some fourth rates did remain in active service even during the Napoleonic Wars , especially in the shallow North Sea , where the Royal Navy 's main opponents were the Baltic powers and the Dutch , whose own fleet consisted mainly of 50 and 64 gun ships. However, HMS ''Leander'' , 50 guns, was with Horatio Nelson at the Battle Of The Nile . As late as 1807, fourth rates were active in combat zones, illustrated by the fatal incident between HMS ''Leopard'' , 50 guns, and the US Frigate ''Chesapeake'' , 38 guns, which almost precipitated the War Of 1812 five years early! The US's 44-gun Frigate s (such as '' ''Constitution'' '', ''United States'' '' and '' ''President'' '') ''in operational use were never armed with fewer than 50 guns including Carronades , and were generally seen as equivalent to 4th rates. The larger British 24-pounder Frigate s such as the later 1813 ''Leander'' and '''''Newcastle''''' , of similar firepower to those big American 44s, which were launched (or razée from existing smaller 3rd Rate 74-gun 2-deckers) during the last years of the Napoleonic War and the War Of 1812 were in fact classed as 4th-rates in Royal Naval service under the revised rating system, and this convention continued into the 19th Century. Any of these later large 4th-Rate frigates threw a close-range broadside (including from their heavy Carronades ) far superior to the earlier 2-decker 50s or even to 3rd Rate 64s. REFERENCE
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