Quote Originally Posted by Fisherking View Post
@NimitsTexan The American 44s were fast and heavily built. They are expellant raiders and can out run almost any ship at sea.

One of the 44s caught and captured the fastest ship in the French Navy (and the French had the best ships built in Europe at the time) If there were a faster ship, say in the British Navy, it was surely captured from the French.

Cost and need dictate what ships you build. If you think you have the money and time to build a navy that can rule the sea then you go for the Ship of the Line type. If you have to be a stealthy raider you build squadrons of frigates to hit weaker ships and run from the big boys.
Yep,it was wellknownintheBritishnavythatthe best sailors were French ships. Probably not down to an inaiity to build good ships in the UK,just that the numbers built tended to average down the quality.

As Fisherking says, it must depend on your resources and tatics. Surely not only can you build a 3 decker but other factions can build 44s too. Which the British belatedly did. There's got to be somethingmore to the USS Constitution.