In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term sloop-of-war encompassed all the unrated combat vessels, including the very small gun-brigs and cutters. In technical terms, even the more specialised bomb vessels and fireships were classed as sloops-of-war, and in practice these were employed in the sloop role when not carrying out their specialised functions.
The 1854 USS Constellation, a later United States Navy sloop-of-war named after the original frigate
1831 painting of a three-masted Bermuda sloop of the Royal Navy, entering a West Indies port.
USS Portsmouth in 1896.
The Grimsby-class HMS Wellington. Launched in 1934, the vessel is now berthed on the Thames
A warship or combatant ship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a nation. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are typically faster and more maneuverable than merchant ships. Unlike a merchant ship, which carries cargo, a warship typically carries only weapons, ammunition and supplies for its crew. Warships usually belong to a navy, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations.
The Cannon Shot (1670) by Willem van de Velde the Younger, showing a late Dutch 17th-century ship of the line
Assyrian warship, a bireme with pointed bow circa 700 BC
Diagrams of first and third rate warships, England, 1728
A sailing corvette scale model in the Trianon model collection
