H.M.S. Lydia

Lydia is an English fifth-rate frigate. She is a three-masted, square-rigged ship with a single gun deck and thirty-six guns, half of which are carronades; she also carries at least one and probably four or more 9 lb. long brass bow chaser and mounts at least four carronades on her quarterdeck. Her amidships cannons, the primary armament, are apparently composed of 12 lb. long guns. The foremast gallant top is 140' above the deck, suggesting a ship of about 150' in length, and the ship is capable of about 4 knots in light airs. She is considered a fine handling vessel. Lydia's normal crew compliment would be something around three hundred men though Hornblower notes she is slightly under-manned at the beginning of the novel. She suffers over one hundred casualties during her prolonged second engagement with Natividad.

Natividad

Natividad is a Spanish warship that, by British...