What would the Royal Navy do in the Napoleonic Wars or War of 1812 if it received a double-razee first-rate reduced into a frigate?
Short answerSuch a ship would become an exceptionally powerful frigate, more likely used against French frigates and Baltic problems than sent to the War of 1812.
NotesFirst rates were too valuable to razee casually, though an already existing double-razee would still be operationally attractive. It could overpower ordinary frigates, but more urgent Napoleonic tasks would take priority over North America. Fleet's aside about the Baltic underlines how a heavy frigate could be redirected toward stubborn regional naval problems.