Second-rate
- This is one of six ratings (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) in the rating system of the Royal Navy.
In the British Royal Navy, a second-rate was a ship of the line mounting 90 to 98 guns, typically built with three gun decks.
Second-rate vessels displaced about 2000 tones, carrying a crew of 750. Being smaller than first-rate vessels, lighter guns were carried on their middle and upper decks.
Powerful and able to fight in the center of a line of battle, second-rates were sometimes criticised for being slow and hard to maneuver. Where a first-rate vessel was considered too expensive or vulnerable to risk, a second-rate often served as a flagship.
