22-605: Before 1688 no sixth rate carried more than 20 guns. At the start of the Anglo-French War in 1688 the British captured four 20 plus gunned French vessels, that were rated by the French as sixth rates. The British Admiralty submitted a requirement to the Navy Board for a 'standard' sixth rate of 20 guns on the upper deck with four smaller guns on the quarterdeck . The vessel proposed by
44-491: A post-captain in command instead of a lieutenant or commander . During the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), the now elderly sixth-rate frigates were found to be too small for their expected duties, which were more easily performed by fifth-rate frigates. Most were phased out without replacement, although a few lasted in auxiliary roles until after 1815. The Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian features
66-399: A single deck, with raised structures at each end: the " forecastle " in the front, and the " aftercastle " in the rear. Following the introduction of cannon, the aftercastle was gradually replaced with a simpler structure consisting of the halfdeck above the main deck, extending forwards from the stern to the mainmast; and above that the quarterdeck, extending about half as far forwards. Later
88-402: A smart appearance at all times. Personnel not in the uniform of the day generally avoid crossing the quarterdeck unless their work requires it. On ships with a well-defined quarterdeck area, uniformed personnel should salute when they enter it. Smoking and recreational activities are prohibited on the quarterdeck unless specially authorised by the commanding officer. The starboard gangway to
110-462: A specific deck, but to a ceremonial area designated as such by the captain, often used as the ship's reception area while in harbour. As in the days of sail, it is a place where the captain has special control and prerogatives. In port, the quarterdeck is the most important place on the ship, and is the central control point for all its major activities, as well as it is where the captain usually stands. Underway, its importance diminishes as control of
132-410: Is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on board, and the word is still used to refer to such an area on a ship or even in naval establishments on land. Many such facilities have areas decorated like shipboard quarterdecks. In
154-565: Is the general specification, whereas the actual dimensions where known will be listed with each ship. The general specification called for a gundeck of 93 feet 0 inches (28.3 metres) with a keel length of 77 feet 8 inches (23.7 metres) for tonnage calculation. The breadth would be 24 feet 4 inches (7.4 metres) for tonnage with a depth of hold of 10 feet 8 inches (3.3 metres). The tonnage calculation would be 244 + 57 ⁄ 94 . The initial gun armament would be twenty sakers mounted on wooden trucks located on
176-608: The Venus transit in the sixth-rate ship HMS Seahorse . The novel The Watering Place of Good Peace by Geoffrey Jenkins includes a fictional sixth-rate ship called HMS Plymouth Sound , which is described as being one of the fastest sailing ships in the Royal Navy . In Hornblower and the Atropos by C.S. Forester , the titular character – Horatio Hornblower – commands a sixth-rate ship of 22 guns. Quarterdeck The quarterdeck
198-408: The captain , and two lieutenants ; warrant officers would include the master , ship's surgeon , and purser . The other quarterdeck officers were the chaplain and a Royal Marines lieutenant. The ship also carried the standing warrant officers, the gunner , the bosun and the carpenter , and two master's mates , four midshipmen , an assistant surgeon , and a captain's clerk . The rest of
220-466: The quarterdeck ) and were classed as frigates . The smaller sixth-rates with between 20 and 24 guns, still all ship-rigged and sometimes flush-decked vessels, were generally designated as post ships . These vessels could perhaps be considered comparable to the light cruisers and destroyers of more recent times, respectively. Regardless of armament, sixth-rates were known as " post ships " because, being rated , they were still large enough to have
242-546: The 20th century the word came to be applied to the area at the stern of the ship, often (on naval vessels) used for secondary weapons and (on battleships) seaplane catapults. In modern military designs the stern has been roofed over by the helicopter deck but a large space remains underneath which is typically used for sonar equipment or small boats and which is still referred to as the quarterdeck in Commonwealth navies. There are ancient traditions of offering special deference to
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#1732875647327264-552: The Navy Board had an estimated cost of £1,676.10.0d per ship with another £2,513 for materials for completion. Initially fourteen ships were ordered, Batch 1 of four vessels in July 1693, Batch 2 of eight vessels in spring 1694, Batch 3 of two vessels in March 1695 with a further four in 1696. This first standardized group of sixth rates became known as the Maidstone Group . The initial order
286-539: The first half of the 18th century the main battery guns were 6-pounders, but by mid-century these were supplanted by 9-pounders. 28-gun sixth-rates were classed as frigates , those smaller as ' post ships ', indicating that they were still commanded by a full ('post') captain , as opposed to sloops of 18 guns and less, which were under commanders . Sixth-rate ships typically had a crew of about 150–240 men, and measured between 450 and 550 tons. A 28-gun ship would have about 19 officers; commissioned officers would include
308-443: The halfdeck was extended the entire length of the ship, becoming the main deck (the former main deck now being the gun deck), leaving the quarterdeck as the only significant deck above the main deck. The captain or master commanded the ship from the quarterdeck. The quarterdeck was traditionally the place where the captain walked when on deck, usually on the windward side. The navigator also used it when taking his sights when fixing
330-454: The men were the crew, or the 'lower deck'. They slept in hammocks and ate their simple meals at tables, sitting on wooden benches. A sixth-rate carried about 23 marines, while in a strong crew the bulk of the rest were experienced seamen rated 'able' or 'ordinary'. In a weaker crew there would be a large proportion of 'landsmen', adults who were unused to the sea. The larger sixth-rates were those of 28 guns (including four smaller guns mounted on
352-405: The quarterdeck is normally used by officers and their visitors; the port gangway is used by everyone else. In bad weather, all personnel use the lee gangway . On smaller ships with only one gangway, it may be rigged to either side and is used by everyone. Flagships sometimes have an additional starboard gangway for the flag officer and officers of his staff. In medieval times, warships had
374-418: The quarterdeck. Greek, Roman, and Carthaginian warships all carried shrines which were given special respect. This continued into Christian times, and in medieval British warships, the religious shrine was set up on the quarterdeck. All hands were required to salute it by taking off their hats or caps. This led to the habit of saluting whenever one entered the quarterdeck. Today, quarterdeck refers not to
396-412: The ship is transferred to the bridge . The quarterdeck is normally on the main deck, but may be elsewhere in some types of ship. It is usually marked off by special lines, deck markings, decorative cartridge cases, or fancy knotwork. Special attention is paid to the quarterdeck's cleanliness and physical appearance. Those standing watch on the quarterdeck must be in the uniform of the day and present
418-511: The sixth-rate ship HMS Surprise as the frigate captained by Jack Aubrey . It is based on the actual historical frigate of the same name , formerly the French ship Unité , which was captured and renamed by the Royal Navy in 1796. The Surprise was portrayed in the 2003 film Master and Commander which was adapted from the novels. In the novel Mason and Dixon by Thomas Pynchon , the title characters set sail for Sumatra in 1761 to view
440-401: The upper deck (UD) with a further four 3-pounders mounted on wooden trucks on the quarterdeck (QD). A saker or sacar was a muzzle-loading smoothbore gun of 1,400 pounds in weight with a 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch bore firing a 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 -pound shot with a 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 -pound powder charge. In 1703 the armament would be established at twenty 6-pounders mounted on wooden trucks on
462-405: The upper deck with four 4-pounders on the quarterdeck. Sixth rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships , a sixth-rate was the designation for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 carriage-mounted guns on a single deck, sometimes with smaller guns on the upper works and sometimes without. It thus encompassed ships with up to 30 guns in all. In
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#1732875647327484-407: Was for fourteen vessels spread over three building seasons with another four added in 1696. The construction of the vessels was evenly split between Dockyard-built vessels and contracted vessels. As with most vessels of this period only order and launch dates are available. Each ship was built to a generalized specification with dimensional creep accruing in all vessels. The dimensional data listed here
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