A wooden warship's apparent longevity depended on how heavily it was used as well as how carefully it was maintained. Ships doing repeated transatlantic and Caribbean work generally faced more refits and shorter expected lives than vessels in Mediterranean or home waters. Assignments remained fluid, with some ships spending only a season overseas before returning and others being sent near the beginning or end of their careers. Fleet planners assembled the ships they had available, which complicates any neat division into separate groups by service life.
Notable Point · 37:42-38:45
Caribbean service shortened the intervals between refits
Transatlantic and Caribbean deployments could require more frequent refits and shorten the expected service life of wooden warships.