Frigate vs. Brig — What's the Difference?

A medium-sized naval warship, typically used for escorting other vessels.

A sailing ship with two square-rigged masts.

A ship equipped with advanced weaponry for multi-role combat.

A type of vessel popular for coastal trading in the 18th century.

A modern vessel known for versatility and speed.

A small warship used by navies for scouting or raiding.

Often the primary escort for larger aircraft carriers.

Less commonly, a prison on a ship or military base.

Historically, a warship smaller than a ship of the line.

A vessel once favored by privateers for its speed and agility.

A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, ships classified as frigates have had very varied roles and capabilities.

A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part of the 19th century.

A warship that is smaller than a destroyer and used primarily for escort duty.

A two-masted sailing vessel, square-rigged on both masts.

A high-speed, medium-sized sailing war vessel of the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s.

A jail or prison on board a US Navy or Coast Guard vessel.

(Obsolete) A fast, light vessel, such as a sailboat.

A jail or guardhouse, especially on the premises of a US military installation.

(nautical) Any of several types of warship:

(watercraft) A two-masted vessel, square-rigged on both foremast and mainmast

(historical) A sailing warship (of any size) built for speed and maneuverability; typically without raised upperworks, having a flush forecastle and tumblehome sides.

(US) A jail or guardhouse, especially in a naval military prison or jail on a ship, navy base, or (in fiction) spacecraft.

(historical) A sailing warship with a single continuous gun deck, typically used for patrolling and blockading duties, but not considered large enough for the line of battle.

Bridge.

(historical) A warship combining sail and steam propulsion, typically of ironclad timber construction, supplementing and superseding sailing ships of the line at the beginning of the development of the ironclad battleship.

Brigadier.

(historical) A escort warship, smaller than a destroyer, introduced in World War 2 as an anti-submarine vessel.

A bridge.

A modern type of warship, equivalent in size or smaller than a destroyer, often focused on anti-submarine warfare, but sometimes general purpose.

A two-masted, square-rigged vessel.

(fictional) A warship or space warship, inspired by one of the many historic varieties of frigate.

On a United States man-of-war, the prison or place of confinement for offenders.

A frigatebird (Fregata spp.).

Two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts

Originally, a vessel of the Mediterranean propelled by sails and by oars. The French, about 1650, transferred the name to larger vessels, and by 1750 it had been appropriated for a class of war vessels intermediate between corvettes and ships of the line. Frigates, from about 1750 to 1850, had one full battery deck and, often, a spar deck with a lighter battery. They carried sometimes as many as fifty guns. After the application of steam to navigation steam frigates of largely increased size and power were built, and formed the main part of the navies of the world till about 1870, when the introduction of ironclads superseded them.

A penal institution (especially on board a ship)

Any small vessel on the water.

A medium size square-rigged warship of the 18th and 19th centuries

A United States warship larger than a destroyer and smaller than a cruiser

Yes, frigates remain essential in modern navies, often specializing in anti-submarine or escort roles.

Their speed and maneuverability made them ideal for coastal trade and warfare.

Yes, frigates are generally larger than brigs, which were considered relatively small vessels even in their heyday.

A frigate usually features mixed rigging, whereas a brig is exclusively square-rigged on both masts.

Frigates were versatile warships, while brigs were often used for coastal trade, privateering, and minor military engagements.

Frigates are mainly used for escorting fleets, anti-submarine warfare, and general patrols.

Yes, brigs were often used for scouting, raiding, and minor skirmishes.

Yes, some brigs are preserved as museum ships or replicas.

No, brigs have been largely phased out in favor of more modern naval ships.

Privateers used brigs for their speed and agility in attacking enemy merchant ships.

Technological advancements and the rise of steamships made brigs obsolete.

Modern frigates are armed with missiles, naval guns, and anti-submarine torpedoes.

Yes, frigates are capable of independent operations but often work as part of a larger naval group.

No, frigates are not capital ships but serve important auxiliary roles.

Frigates have adapted to new warfare requirements, now specializing in anti-submarine and electronic warfare.