As ships of the line grew, first rates pulled away from the fleet's numerical core and left a new space in the rating system. That core shifted from 64-gun ships to 74s and later 80s, while first rates rose from roughly 80 guns to more than 100. Second rates occupied the gap between those groups. The type emerged from changes across the fleet's size hierarchy.
Notable Point · 10:35-12:14
How fleet growth created the second-rate niche
As first rates grew beyond the 64-, 74-, and 80-gun fleet core, the changing rating system opened a place for second rates.