Four ships in a Patrick O'Brien painting introduce the wooden wall: HMS Royal Oak, HMS Invincible, HMS Terrible, and HMS Richmond. Three are third rates, while Richmond is a fifth-rate frigate. Their careers draw attention to ships that did much of the fleet's work alongside the more famous first rates. Together they introduce Royal Navy ratings and the force structure behind the wooden wall.
Chapter · 1:00-6:53
Four ships as a guide to the wooden wall
Royal Oak, Invincible, Terrible, and Richmond illustrate the third rates and frigates behind the Royal Navy's wooden wall.