Ship development repeatedly changed what each rating represented. By Victory's era, later 64-gun and 74-gun ships could approach the size and performance of first rates from the early 1600s. The leading first rates had meanwhile become much larger three-deck ships. The comparison shows how the scale expanded upward while familiar gun counts moved into lower rates.
Notable Point · 7:07-7:57
How earlier first-rate performance moved down the ratings
As first rates became larger three-deck ships, the size and performance of earlier first rates reappeared in later 64-gun and 74-gun types.