“...Frigates. Like Old Ironsides during the days of sail. And lots of them.”
A misreading of what “Old Ironsides” (USS Constitution) actually was. Fails to recall how she got her nickname.
Designed by Joshua Humphreys, USS Constitution was built bigger & heavier than typical frigates of the late 18th century, mounting so many guns that some navy-watchers suggested she ought to be a fifth- or sixth-rate “ship of the line” (as battleships were termed then). Her hull contour and square yardage of spreadable canvas permitted her to outspeed all other warships and match other frigates.
British Royal Navy captains found - to their discomfiture - that Constitution could bring their frigates to battle, during which her main armament (with greater numbers of “long guns”) could outrange their carronades (large caliber, but of lower velocity); solid shot fired from RN carronades were observed to bounce off her sides, greatly boosting the morale of her sailors and earning her nickname.
When Constitution and her sister ships were being designed, Humphreys ran into resistance: his “super frigates” would cost more per ship; many naval authorities and government officials wanted smaller, simpler vessels in greater numbers. He refused to compromise and got enough leaders to back him; the strength & seaworthiness of his ships occasioned a lot of notice around the globe, before they went into action and cemented his reputation. And - not so incidentally - proved the courage of American sailors, and the prowess and professionalism of the fledgling US Navy.
Joshua Humphreys was a Quaker. The Society of Friends ultimately kicked him out because he built such fine weapons of war.
Negates Redmen4ever’s final point about “Lots of them.”
Thanks for correcting me. Sometimes I have, you know, attacks of stupidity. Next time when I say a (modern) frigate should be able to take a hit, like Old Ironsides was able to take a hit, I’ll remember that Old Ironsides was able to take a hit. Well, unless I have another attack of the stupids.
I think you are also “correcting” me on the status of the original set of six frigates, as they were “heavy frigates.” They were up-gunned relative to other frigates, with especially strong hulls.
When the term frigate was revived, during WWII, it referred to a ship smaller than a destroyer and used primarily for escorting and screening missions. Both frigates and destroyers have gotten larger. Frigates of today are about the size of the frigates of WWII (2 to 3,000 tons), and destroyers of today are about the size of cruisers of WWII (6 to 8,000 tones).
I actually don’t know how the strongly the nomenclature of today (corvettes, frigates and destroyers) compares to the nomenclature of WWII (frigates, destroyers, cruisers and battleships) and of the age of sail (sloop of war, frigate and man of war). My reference to the frigate of old was not to meant to say more than we should want frigates capable of taking a hit, like the original set of six were able.