Although often listed as carrying ninety 32-pounders, that label does not specify gun type. A 32-pounder could be a long gun, a medium cannon, or a carronade, with very different weight and manpower demands. Comparing sister Franklin's documented battery with Independence's 74 hull ports suggests long guns below, medium guns above, and carronades on the upper works. That arrangement reconciles the nominal gun total with a hull built as a third rate. A crew of roughly 790 also appears too small to operate ninety long 32-pounders while sailing and supporting the ship.
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What did Independence's ninety 32-pounders actually mean?
A mixed battery of long guns, medium guns, and carronades better fits the ship's pierced ports and crew than ninety identical long guns.