Sixth-rate was the designation used by the Royal Navy for small warships mounting between 20 and 28 nine-pounder guns on a single deck, sometimes with guns on the upper works and sometimes without. Sixth-rate ships typically had a crew of about 150- 240 men measured between 450 and 550 tons. A 28 gun ship would have about 18 officers, including a captain, two lieutenants and the key warrant officers- the master, the Ship's surgeon, the purser, the gunner, the bosun and the carpenter and four mi… (More on Sixth-rate)