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InRoyal Navy jargon, aman-of-war (alsoman-o'-war, or simplyman)[1][2] was a powerfulwarship orfrigate of the 16th to the 19th century, that was frequently used in Europe. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a sailing ship armed withcannon. Therating system of the Royal Navy classified men-of-war into six "rates", a "first-rate" having the greatest armament, and a "sixth-rate" the least.
The man-of-war was developed in Portugal in the early 15th century from earlier roundships with the addition of a second mast to form thecarrack. The 16th century saw the carrack evolve into thegalleon and then theship of the line. The evolution of the term has been given thus:
man-of-war. "A phrase applied to a line of battle ship, contrary to the usual rule in the English language by which all ships are feminine. It probably arose in the following manner: 'Men of war' were heavily armed soldiers. A ship full of them would be called a 'man-of-war ship.' In process of time the word 'ship' was discarded as unnecessary and there remained the phrase 'a man-of-war.'" – Talbot.
— Henry Frederic Reddall,Fact, Fancy, and Fable, 1892, p. 340[3]
The man-of-war design developed bySir John Hawkins was a type of galleon which had three masts, each with three to four sails. The ship could be up to 60 metres long and could have up to 124 guns: four at the bow, eight at the stern, and 56 in each broadside. All these cannons required threegun decks to hold them, one more than any earlier ship. It had a maximum sailing speed of eight or nineknots.[citation needed]
