Heart-pounding naval combat with wooden ships and iron men! Take command of your ship and crew to sail into battle with iconic ships from the golden age of sail. Balance your offence and defense to outlast, dismast, sink, board, and plunder your enemies. Challenge your friends in thrilling smoke filled multiplayer battles or sail solo in missions to challenge your command skills. Become a Pirate Lord in the Brethren of the Coast or hunt down your nation's enemies as the Captain of a Ship of the Line. Earn your Letters of Marque and start your voyage, if you dare!
Ships of this size were also extremely expensive to operate. As a result, the few first rates (the Royal Navy had only five completed in 1794), were typically reserved as commanding admirals' flagships. With first rates being the most powerful ships of the navy, it was common to compare them with the navies of other nations. Due to their unique importance as prestige warships, only a small number of first rates could be built and maintained at any one time.
The term "first-rate" has passed into general usage as an adjective used to mean "exceptionally good", deriving from the original ships as powerful and prestigious ships