I will start this off by saying that I don't claim to know everything, as such I will do my best to include as many references as possible.
The depth that Naval action allows players to field is phenomenal, and it encourages experimentation with ships/builds/playstyles and the like.
One thing I would love to see is a more accurate implementation of some of the ships.
This time I'm going to focus on the USS Constitution.
Put Simply, the USS Constitution belongs in a 4th Rate slot, as opposed to a 3rd rate position.
During the time of her service (and for a while before) Ships were given rating based on their guns.
Rating systems Tend to reflect the same general Numbers https://www.historicnavalfiction.com/general-hnf-info/naval-facts/the-rating-system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rating_system_of_the_Royal_Navy
Type
Rate
Guns
Gun decks
Ship of the line
1st Rate
100 to 120
3
2nd Rate
90 to 98
3
3rd Rate
64 to 80
2
4th Rate
48 to 60
2
Frigate
5th Rate
32 to 44
1
6th Rate
20 to 28
1
Sloop-of-war
Unrated
16 to 18
1
Gun-brig or Cutter
6 to 14
1
Frigates of 4th rate have between 48 (or 50 depending on the rating system) and 60 Guns, with 2 gun decks.
This matches the current iteration of the Constitution in game perfectly.
Using in game deck terminology
Her Lower Deck has 30 guns, her Middle Deck has 24 and she has 6 Chasers. This comes out to 60 Guns, fitting within the 4th rate designation.
However. This is only based on her in game operational stats, and if you were to go based off of her 'rating' it could have been based on what she was designed with, as most ships had extra guns put on them after commission, outside of their 'rating'
Below is an Excerpt from the Naval History and Heritage command, military website. > https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/ships-of-sail/uss-constitution-americas-ship-of-state/history.html
"The 44-gun USS CONSTITUTION, built in Boston, was launched on Oct. 21, 1797."
Below is an Excerpt from the Wikipedia page. > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution "Constitution was rated as a 44-gun frigate, but she often carried more than 50 guns at a time."
Both cases show that she was a 44 gun Rated Ship, having two gun decks. This would put her into the low 4th rate territory/5th rate plus a gun deck.
Obviously the Constitution (as well as most ships of the era) regularly carried a larger number of guns than 'rated'.
Now the long boring part:
While 5th rate would be damaging to the position of other 5th rates within the game, 4th rate would be a good fit, and in my opinion more accurate. Some 5th rate ships are still capable against the Constitution (Such as the Endymion, which historically fought against the USS President.) But most would struggle to fight her, and such was historical with the HMS Guerriere (rated at 38 guns, but carrying 49 at the time), and the HMS Java (rated at 38 guns). She was, historically, a 4th rate built around hunting 5th rates.
All of this blathering comes together in the end for me to say this.
The USS Constitution (and the United states by proxy) Belongs in the 4th Rate position, not the 3rd rate as she currently is.
Please Participate in the Poll Below to share your thoughts. What rate should the USS Constitution, and the USS United States be in? https://www.opinionstage.com/fenrirfurrien/uss-constitution-rating Thank you for your time.
Images sourced from https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/ships-of-sail/uss-constitution-americas-ship-of-state/history.html