Frigate

The frigate is the ship of choice in Britannia when it comes to sea travel. This huge ship is built for extended travel at sea, and is armed with powerful cannons in order to deal with seaborne monsters and pirates. Crews have the option of either raising the sails and hoping that the winds are right, or using the rows supplied with the ship for slower, more precise movement. Since a frigate can't enter shallow waters, each comes with a skiff for such situations, which is included in the price when buying the ship from the shipwright.

Frigates have been a part of the series since Ultima I, but only starting with Ultima V was it possible to buy them (before, they could only be captured from pirates). This was also the first time that skiffs were supplied with a frigate. By the time of Ultima VI, skiffs were not standard fare on the frigates, but they had gained the ability to sail everywhere.

Frigates were seen no more after that time, due to engine limitations reducing ships to simpler design. However, the intro to Ultima VII Part Two shows that actually the Avatar's ship is supposed to be a frigate.

Trivia

 * In Ultima II it is only possible to command a frigate after getting a blue tassle.
 * In Ultima IV, the Wheel of the HMS Cape can upgrade a frigate's hull, from its standard 50 HP to 99 HP.
 * In Ultima V, the plans of the HMS Cape were found to again upgrade the ship, this time to improve its speed.