Remember,
Master and Commander's ship is HMS Surprise, 22, "the smallest frigate in the Royal Navy".
Her French opponent, the Yankee-built Acheron, 44, is one of the big frigates American shipyards were building for European navies in the early 19th century. In those days, the US not only had some of the world's best naval architects and yardbirds, we also had vast forests of fine hardwoods and plenty of hemp for cordage--and cotton for canvas.