Hi!

I don't know about this subject but my husband does so I asked him and he said:

In Napoleonic times, sloops were fast so they could cut in and take on any merchant ships, because merchant ships weren't heavily armed.

Especially if the merchant ship was unescorted or had somehow broken away from the escort.

Or, one sloop could take on another sloop and have a battle.

He says if you haven’t read the Horatio Hornblower books, they are really useful for inspiration.

Hope that helps!