the sloop of war was the most numerous design in the royal navy by the end of the napoleonic wars. yet very little has been written about them or their french counterpart, the corvettes. later, the united states used sloops of war. the royal navy used the class of "sloop" right up until the end of world war ii. the sailing sloop, like its larger cousin the frigate, were fast and used in a variety of roles. they were not usually used in battle, but were more often used for support in reconnaissance and for carrying messages. they were probably the best of the royal navy sailing ships for maneuverability and could function in all but the roughest sea conditions.