A spardeck enclosed the waist to create a continuous upper level for guns, producing a two-tier battery of long guns and carronades. Newcastle and Leander were ordered in 1813 as 50-gun fourth-rate frigates, giving the Royal Navy ships intended to overmatch American 44s. Their pursuit of USS Constitution illustrates both the design response and the enduring difficulty of forcing a faster opponent to fight. The term did not require every opening to be planked over, because some layouts retained open areas protected by heavy netting.
Notable Point · 2:16:42-2:21:45
Spardeck frigates built to hunt American heavy frigates
HMS Newcastle and HMS Leander show the Royal Navy answering American heavy frigates with purpose-built 50-gun spardeck ships.