East Indiamen were built to survive long routes while carrying mixed bulk and crated cargo in a world with limited cranes and port infrastructure. Two substantial deck levels put much of the storage below while leaving the upper level available for guns. That arrangement created strong hulls with enough deck structure to accept a heavier naval battery after conversion. Commercial carrying capacity accounted for much of the structural resemblance to a fourth rate.
Notable Point · 25:24-27:40
Cargo decks made East Indiamen convertible warships
The ships' long-voyage construction and two-deck cargo arrangement explain both their carrying capacity and their potential conversion into fourth rates.