Vanguard American Heavy Frigates 1794-1826 Osprey Books

By 1805 the 44-gun frigate was probably viewed as a failed experiment. The French Navy built a handful, most of which were promptly captured by the British. The Royal Navy responding to the French threat converted three 64-gun ships-of-the-line to 44-gun razeed frigates. Except for Edward Pellews (see OMJ 3.6) Indefatigable all led undistinguished careers. In 1805 the Royal Navy had only four 44-gun frigates in commission, with no plans to build more. The 38-gun frigate was viewed as the vessel of the future. Ten years later every navy was building 44-gun frigates the new standard by which the frigate would be measured in public opinion. Today it is viewed as the symbol of the Napoleonic-era cruiser. This remarkable transformation resulted from the performance of three ships the Constitution, United States, and President 44-gun frigates built for the United States Navy between 1794 and 1799. Their victories in the naval War of 1812, as well as their performance in the Barbary, caught the imagination of the world and spurred all navies into re-examining the class. The United States built three more 44-gun frigates during the War of 1812, and laid down the keel for 8 more between 1818 and 1825.