Comments by "" (@RedXlV) on "The Forgotten Fleet - US Navy Fighting Sail 1815-1860" video.

Now imagine if USS Pennsylvania had been razeed to create the most hilarious "frigate" in the history of the age of sail.
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Given Pennsylvania's sheer size and Virginia's limited number of guns, I couldn't be surprised if Virginia went for the ram and ended up being pulled down with her.
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@13thbee16 I'm pretty sure that it's because of the expense. When you razee an old 3rd-rate, the cost of building its hull and rigging was already paid a few decades ago, and you're extending its useful life by turning it into a good modern frigate. Build a brand-new frigate to the same standards, and you're building a frigate that's just about as expensive as a brand-new 3rd-rate would've been. So it'd be more economical to build that 3rd-rate and then razee it into a frigate later, after it's served in your battle line for a while.
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