Tim W wrote:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/...html#ref=nlint

FOG

Don't know quite what makes it a 'Frigate' exactly. I would have called it
a Schooner. Has she got a gun deck?

Tim W




Also...

In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and
maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built". These could
be warships carrying their principal battery of carriage-mounted guns on a
single deck or on two decks (with further smaller carriage-mounted guns usually
carried on the forecastle and quarterdeck of the vessel). The term was generally
used for ships too small to stand in the line of battle, although early
line-of-battle ships were frequently referred to as frigates when they were
built for speed.

In the 18th century, the term referred to ships which were usually as long as a
ship-of-the-line and were square-rigged on all three masts (full rigged), but
were faster and with lighter armament, used for patrolling and escort. In the
definition adopted by the British Admiralty, they were rated ships of at least
28 guns, carrying their principal armament upon a single continuous deck—the
upper deck, while ships-of-the-line possessed two or more continuous decks
bearing batteries of guns.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigate


--

Richard Lamb
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~cavelamb
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~sv_temptress