razee
razee
a razee is a robust frigate, created by cutting the top deck off a larger ship of the line. frigates are a vital part of any balanced sea-going fleet. they are cruisers that can operate independently and are swift enough to hunt down enemy merchantmen. the chance for prize money makes them popular postings among officers and men alike! one way of creating a large, powerful frigate is to take a two-deck ship of the line and, in effect, saw off the top deck creating a single-deck frigate. the first result is that a 64-gun ship can now only carry 44 guns, but the ones that remain are the heavier than those normally found on a frigate, typically 32- or 24-pounders rather than the expected 18s! the second result is that the razee retains the strong timbers of the original 64, making it a robust ship in combat. thirdly, having lost its upper works, the new ship generally handles rather well under sail. all this work takes time and valuable dock space, of course. historically, one of the most successful razees was hms indefatigable, commanded by edward pellew. in the company of another frigate, pellew took on - and defeated - the droits de l’homme, a french 74, in 1797. during the next year or so, pellew and the indefatigable went on to take a further nine vessels.
改装舰
在18世纪，各国海军的战列舰越造越大，火力也越来越强。为了充分利用淘汰下来的老式战列舰（例如四级舰），列强海军将它们改装成小一号的护卫舰。
护卫舰是任何一个配置均衡的远洋舰队所必需的。它们可以作为巡洋舰独立执行任务，或凭借高速拦截敌方商船。劫掠商船,领取捕获赏金的机会让所有水兵们都趋之若鹜。一般来讲，建造一艘强大的改装舰，需要将一艘小型的双层甲板战列舰的上层甲板切除并减少舰炮数量。比如，一艘64门炮的四级舰在改装后装备 44门炮。虽然舰炮数量减少了，但与装备18磅炮的普通护卫舰相比，改装舰仍然使用战列舰装备的大口径24磅或32磅炮。另外，改装舰保留了战列舰的坚固 船体，因此在战斗中能支撑更长时间。最后，抛弃了上层甲板的改装舰获得了更强的机动性。毋庸置疑，所有的改装工作必须在高级港口内进行，并花费相当长的时间。
历史上，战绩最为辉煌的一艘改装舰是皇家海军“不倦”号，舰长是爱德华· 皮柳。1797年，在另一护卫舰的协助下，皮柳追上并击败了一艘74门炮的法国战舰“人权”号。在这之后，皮柳和他的“不倦”号在1798年内一共击败了9艘战舰。
