A razee removed an upper deck from a ship of the line to create a lighter, faster vessel that retained heavy construction and guns. The Royal Navy converted three 64-gun ships into 44-gun razees in 1794, eighteen years before the War of 1812; the 1813 conversions of 74s into 58-gun ships were the later wartime response. The chronology separates a longstanding design practice from one particular conflict.
Notable Point · 1:46:09-1:47:32
Royal Navy razees predated the War of 1812
The 1794 conversions show that cutting ships of the line down into powerful frigates was a response to French competition before the American war.