Editing Man-of-war

{{Short description|Historic Royal Naval term for a warship}}
{{About|a type of warship|other uses|Man of war (disambiguation)|and|Man o' war (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|Portuguese man o' war}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

[[File:Het Kanonschot - Canon fired (Willem van de Velde II, 1707).jpg|thumb|A Dutch man-of-war firing a [[salute]]. ''The Cannon Shot'', painting by [[Willem van de Velde the Younger]].]]
In [[Royal Navy]] jargon, a '''man-of-war''' (also '''man-o'-war''', or simply '''man''')<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man-of-war |title=man-of-war |dictionary=[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]] |access-date=3 December 2014 |archive-date=22 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422032726/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/man-of-war |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite dictionary |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/man-of-war |title=man-of-war |dictionary=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |access-date=3 December 2014 |archive-date=9 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609145919/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/man-of-war |url-status=live }}</ref> was a powerful [[warship]] or [[frigate]] of the 16th to the 19th century, that was frequently used in Europe. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a sailing ship armed with [[cannon]]. The [[rating system of the Royal Navy]] classified men-of-war into six "rates", a "first-rate" having the greatest armament, and a "sixth-rate" the least.

==Description==
The man-of-war was developed in Portugal in the early 15th century from earlier roundships with the addition of a second mast to form the [[carrack]]. The 16th century saw the carrack evolve into the [[galleon]] and then the [[ship of the line]]. The evolution of the term has been given thus:

{{quote|man-of-war. "A phrase applied to a line of battle ship, contrary to the usual rule in the English language by which all ships are feminine. It probably arose in the following manner: 'Men of war' were heavily armed soldiers. A ship full of them would be called a 'man-of-war ship.' In process of time the word 'ship' was discarded as unnecessary and there remained the phrase 'a man-of-war.{{'"}} – Talbot.|Henry Frederic<!--sic--> Reddall, ''Fact, Fancy, and Fable'', 1892, p. 340<ref>{{cite book |first=Henry Frederic |last=Reddall |title=Fact, Fancy, and Fable |year=1892 |location=Chicago |publisher=A. C. McClurg & Co. |page=340}}</ref>}}
[[File:A First Rate Man-of-War Driving on a Reef of Rocks, and Foundering in a Gale - George Philip Reinagle - 38 1928.jpg|thumb|Man-of-war driving on a reef of rocks, and foundering in a gale, painting by [[George Philip Reinagle]] ]]
The man-of-war design developed by [[John Hawkins (naval commander)|Sir John Hawkins]] was a type of galleon which had three masts, each with three to four sails. The ship could be up to 60 metres long and could have up to 124 guns: four at the bow, eight at the stern, and 56 in each broadside. All these cannons required three [[gun deck]]s to hold them, one more than any earlier ship. It had a maximum sailing speed of eight or nine [[knot (unit)|knots]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160609113535/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/bb/bb_naut.html Nautical References]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10997 Project Gutenberg: ''The World of Waters'']
* [http://www.ariannascuola.eu/ilfilodiarianna/it/storia/dinamiche-e-problemi/la-tecnologia-nel-xviii-secolo/la-navigazione-nel-xviii-secolo/211-i-vascelli-da-guerra-nella-seconda-meta-del-700.html#gallery Gallery of photos of men-of-war (Museo delle Navi, Bologna, Italy)]

{{Sailing vessels and rigs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Man-Of-War}}
[[Category:Age of Sail naval ships]]
[[Category:Naval history]]
[[Category:Naval sailing ship types]]
[[Category:Warships]]
[[Category:Privateer ships]]