A British Royal Navy third rate ship-of-the-line firing off her bow chaser, sails set and guns out, ready to fight.

74-gun ships such as this one were the backbone of battle fleets of the Royal Navy. Easier to maneouvre than a first-rate, and if it was French-built, chances are it would be faster, but carrying enough firepower to stand in a line of battle against ships of its own size and larger. As triple-decker ships like the Victory took longer to build, and were more expensive, fleets tended to have more third rates.