3rd Rates Squadron (1770 - 1830)

The great fleet actions of the Age of Sail were characterised by the line of battle - stately men ‘o war, ships with a crew of many hundreds and able to throw a thousand pounds of metal in a single broadside.

At the heart of the line of battle were the ships known by the Royal Navy classification of “3rd rates” - ships that carried between 64 and 80 cannons in two gun decks. The most common was the 74, as it was held to have the best balance of firepower and manoeuvrability and was at the heart of all the great battles of the age. The great three decker HMS Victory was the most famous ship at Trafalgar but the core of Nelson’s line of battle were these 3rd Rates - including sixteen ships of 74 guns, one 80 gun ship and two of the smaller 64s. Similarly, two-thirds of the Franco-Spanish fleet were 74s.

Not only did these ships fight in the line of battle, they were often dispatched on cruising missions or sent to protect convoys. The most famous of the Royal Navy 74s was HMS Bellerophon (known by her sailors as “Billy Ruffian”), which not only fought at the Glorious First of June, the Nile, and Trafalgar but was the ship on board which Napoleon surrendered.

Read more about 3rd Rates and their role in Black Seas here >>

The Kit

The 3rd Rates Squadron kit can be used to represent ships of any nation. The frame includes three different figureheads and three stern plates; enabling you to make your fleet truly unique.

The  box contains all you need to get these vessels to the tabletop. These are suitable for navies of any nation. The kit includes a bobbin for rigging your vessels, sails and decals for every nation capable of building & sailing third rates, as well as all the gaming materials for using the vessels in your games of Black Seas.

This box set contains:

• 3 plastic 3rd Rates
• Printed sails
• Ship cards
• Wake markers
• Bobbin for rigging
• Acetate Ratlines
• Sheets of flags & pennants

Models supplied unassembled and unpainted