American heavy frigates met a fleet-scale blockade

American heavy frigates were excellent ships whose tactical strength could not erase a much larger strategic imbalance. American planners expected Britain to remain absorbed by Napoleon, but the Royal Navy eventually sent more than a hundred frigates and numerous ships of the line toward the American coast. Once third rates reinforced the blockade, even a frigate capable of defeating most peers had to avoid combat with ships carrying much heavier broadsides and taller gun decks. Fleet scale was the decisive strategic constraint despite the quality of the individual American ships. British razees also presented a dangerous opponent because they retained the heavier timbers of the ships of the line from which they had been converted.