Sailing frigate classification

The Sailing frigate classification system used during the 19th Century was a classification scheme used in several western countries. It was officially adopted by the United States Navy. The system classified sailing frigates according to their gun rating.

Ratings

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Type Maximum Gun Rating Minimum Gun Rating Gun Decks
(Including main deck)
First Class 50 [1] 42 [2] 2 [2]
Second Class 36 [2] 28 [2] 1 or 2 [2]
Third Class 24 [2] 20 [2] 1 [2]

Use

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The United States Navy used this classification system officially, beginning at least by 1825.[3] The Royal Institution of Naval Architects, an international organization of naval architects, also adopted the system, beginning in 1860.[1]

The United States adopted a new rating system during the American Civil War, based on the thrown weight of broadsides.[4] By 1875, this system was replaced by a system of steam warship classification based on tonnage.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (1860). Transactions of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Volume I. The Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Nautical Research Guild (1980). Nautical research journal, Volumes 26-27. Nautical Research Guild.
  3. ^ Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the Navy of the United States, including Officers of the Marine Corps, and other, for the Year 1825.
  4. ^ Boynton, Charles Brandon (1870). The History of the Navy During the Rebellion, Volume 1. D. Appleton and Company.
  5. ^ Annual Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Steam-Engineering 1875. United States Government Printing Office. 1876.