REVOLUTIONARY & NAPOLEONIC

“USS CONSTITUTION WAS ONE OF SIX HEAVY FRIGATES THAT FORMED THE CORE OF THE FLEDGLING UNITED STATES NAVY”

Naval power enabled nations to build, develop and defend empires, projecting military might across the globe during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. The fates of nations rested on the outcomes of great battles, and naval heroes set standards of dedication and conduct while serving on their decks. Early warship types gave way to swift, heavily armed frigates and majestic but menacing ships-of-the-line, mounting 100 or more guns. Nations, both preeminent and emerging, recognised naval might as the front line of deterrence and defence against invasion, as well as a source of tremendous prestige. Warship construction, seamanship, gunnery and firepower were substantially improved and increased in an era of global competition and expansion among the European powers. At the same time, former colonies asserted their own brand of nationalism on the high seas, and barbarous pirates plied their nefarious craft aboard warships that could take on almost any attempt to defend or apprehend these rogues of the seas. Warships of the Revolutionary