Rates of Ships

Rates of Ships are the largeness andcapacity of ships of war, and are six: The difference is commonly reckoned by the length and breadth of the gun deck, the number of tuns they contain, and the number of men and guns they carry.

First Rate Ship has the gun-deck from 159 to 174 feet in length, and from 44 to 45 feet in breadth, contains from 1313 to 1882 tuns, carries from 706 to 800 men, and from 96 to 110 guns.

Second Rate has its gun-deck from 153 to 165 feet in length, and from 41 to 46 feet in breadth, contains from 1086 to 1482 tuns, carries from 524 to 640 men, and from 84 to 90 guns.

Third Rate has its gun-deck from 142 to 158 feet in length, and from 37 to 42 feet in breadth, contains from 871 to 1262 tuns, carries from 389 to 476 men, and from 64 to 80 guns.

Fourth Rate has its gun-deck from 118 to 146 feet in length, and from 29 to 38 feet in breadth, contains from 448 to 915 tuns, carries from 216 to 346 men, and from 48 to 60 guns.

Fifth Rate has its gun-deck from 100 to 120 feet in length, and from 24 to 31 feet in breadth, contains from 269 to 542 tuns, carries from 50 to 110 men, and from 16 to 24 guns.

First Rate Ship

Definition taken from The Universal Etymological English Dictionary, edited by Nathan Bailey (1736)

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