HMS Phoebe had accumulated battle honors from actions in 1797 and 1801 through Trafalgar, Tamatave, Java, and Valparaiso. Her later service included use as a receiving hulk, and assessments found her hull suitable for possible reactivation before her sale in 1841. A frigate's official rating counted its principal pierced gun positions rather than every weapon actually carried. Extra guns could be mounted to fire over the rails or through openings made by the crew. Phoebe could consequently be called a 36-gun fifth rate while carrying a battery closer to forty-six guns.
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Phoebe paired a long service record with deceptive gun-count labels
Phoebe was an older but well-maintained veteran whose official 36-gun rating understated the weapons actually carried aboard an Age of Sail frigate.