The quinquereme as the third-rate of its era

Both fleets included galleys larger than the standard quinquereme, and still larger ships appeared in later ancient battles. A trireme lacked the acceleration and power needed to fight quinqueremes on equal terms. A quinquereme had enough power relative to its weight to stand up to larger opponents, although it would not welcome a contest with the very largest hulls. This made it a practical standard for a large fleet. The comparison with a sailing-era third-rate explains the compromise: enough strength to face heavier opposition, with a size that allowed construction in substantial numbers. The prevalence of ships around the 74-gun category illustrates the same preference for a repeatable warship.