Although ‘frigate' had described a fast and lightly built warship from early in the seventeenth century, after 1740 it was more precisely applied to a new and much improved type of cruising ship. The evolution of these vessels - famous as the eyes of the fleet', in the age of Nelson - is described in detail for the first time in this book. The First Frigates is divided into two halves: Part I is a design history, looking at the characteristics of each class and the influences on them. It covers all 28-gun ships and those 32-and 36- gun Fifth Rates armed with 12pdr guns, backed up with extensive tabular data on each. Part II deals with general aspects of the ships, including internal arrangements and fittings, appearance and modifications, armament.masting and rigging, performance under sail, and comparative naval architecture, contrasting the British style of design and construction with those of their French, Spanish and American opponents. The tables contain much new information, and both sections reproduce large numbers of original draughts with lengthy commentaries pointing up the salient features.