Copper plating helped slow the spread of marine growth such as barnacles, which slowed ships down, and prevented damage inflicted by tropical ship worms. This meant that British ships did not have to be careened as often. Careening entailed tilting a ship over on her side so her bottom was exposed beneath the waterline and then scraping and smoking the clusters of marine growth away.
This meant that British ships could spend longer periods at sea. Ships at sea could practice gunnery, impossible in port. The ability to remain at sea for extended periods also enabled the British to impose and maintain blockades outside the major ports of France and Spain, effectively bottling up enemy fleets.
Admiral Collingwood, second-in-command at Trafalgar, once ‘kept the sea’ in this fashion for 22 consecutive months without ever dropping anchor. Supplies were brought to blockading fleets by smaller ships and loaded inboard through the lower deck gun ports. This ability to keep sailing indefinitely was lost once steam replaced sail and would not be regained until the nuclear age.
Royal Navy ship classes
By 1805, there existed a fixed ‘rating system’ for all ships in the Royal Navy. First rates were the giants of the navy, with 3 gun decks carrying between 100 - 120 guns and an average speed of 7 - 8 knots. They were crewed by up to 800 men. The Royal Navy possessed ten of these by 1803.
Second rates also had 3 gun decks but carried 90 - 98 guns. They were slightly smaller than first rates. Both first and second rates could be used as flagships.
Third rates were by far the most numerous ‘line of battle’ ships in the Royal Navy. They had two gun decks and were fitted with 74 - 84 guns. They were often called ‘74’s’. They were crewed by 500 - 700 men. Britain had 152 of these ships.
Fourth rates such as frigates were the messengers, scouts and watchdogs of the navy. British frigates carried between 28 and 44 guns. They were low in the water, fast and manoeuvrable. American frigates were much larger, some carrying as many as 60 guns, and after a series of disastrous engagements, British frigate captains were expressly ordered not to engage American frigates unless they outnumbered them by 2 to 1. It was a frigate that brought the news to Nelson that the French and Spanish fleets had left Cadiz prior to the Battle of Trafalgar.
There was a multitude of smaller sloops, schooners etc that also fell under the rating system. These little ships performed a multitude of tasks, often in a support role to the big battle fleets. Anything smaller than a third rate was considered too small to fight in fleet actions. The schooner ‘Pickle’ carried the news of the British victory and Nelsons death back to England after Trafalgar.
Victory vs Redoutable Ships of the Line at Trafalgar 1805
Gregory Fremont-Barnes
Osprey, 2008
Trafalgar The Nelson Touch
David Howarth
Collins, 1969
