Sloop
Sloop
Historically, a post captain would rarely command a ship this small. The commanding officer was the “master and commander” (this is the origin of the modern naval rank of commander), and held the formal rank of lieutenant. Captain Cook RN commanded HMS Resolution, a sloop converted from a collier (coal ship), on his epic Pacific voyages and was highly satisfied with its performance. Sloop captains could be aggressive: before his promotion to post captain, Thomas Cochrane commanded the 14-gun HMS Speedy and managed to capture “El Gamo”, a Spanish xebec of 32 guns with a crew six times larger than his own!
小战船吃水浅，行动敏捷，这使得它能在极浅的海域或暗礁区（比如加勒比海）不受限制地航行。由于同样的原因，小战船非常适合在舰队中的大型战舰间来回穿梭，执行通讯任务。此外，小战船也擅长近海侦查，拦截商船，剿灭私掠船等。由于小战船的人员和装备较少，即使是最初级的港口都能够提供充足的补给。
历史上，小战船的船长一般是由中尉军衔的指挥官（而非正式舰长）担任。尽管如此，进行伟大的环绕太平洋探险的詹姆斯·库克船长所指挥的就是一艘由运煤船改装的小战船—皇家海军“决心”号。库克船长对“决心“号在航行中的表现十分满意。另外一位好斗的指挥官托马斯· 科克伦在自己被提升为正式舰长之前指挥14门炮的小战船皇家海军“飞速”号捕获了水手人数7倍于己的，装备32门炮的西班牙三桅战船“扁角鹿”号。
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