Why not put it something like: ships-of-the-line were the vanguard/most formidable vessels of the maritime force (navy)?

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Note added at 11 mins (2011-03-03 15:03:58 GMT)
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The word battleship refers to ships that were built for war between the 15th and 20th century. These ships had powerful guns, armor, and were mostly used in times when major world powers were trying to expand their colonies and establish their trade routes. The word "battleships" is often used interchangeably with "warships," which is incorrect. Warship is the category of naval vessels that are built to fight wars, whereas battleships had typical specifications and belonged to a particular period of time.

The earlier battleships used to make "castles" aboard ships, which were raised platforms used by archers, and later they were strengthened enough to mount large guns. The British naval supremacy was maintained over the other rival naval powers, such as France, Spain and Netherlands, for a considerable time due to constant improvements to their shipbuilding technology. In the 17th century, a fleet would consist of two-decker, three-decker and four decker ships that later went on to be used in the historical Napoleonic wars. The 18th century battleships used the revolutionary exploding-shell technology, which not only resulted in the introduction of iron/steel armor, but also rendered other ships obsolete. The irony however, is that even though British naval superiority was widely prevalent, the French were almost always the first to produce better versions, such as the largest three decker Valmy, the first steam battleship Le Napoléon, or the first "Ironclad" La Gloire. The last decades of the 18th century saw a number of experimental ships being built, which resulted in the induction of the turbine engines that laid foundation for the "Dreadnought" class of warships.

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Note added at 12 mins (2011-03-03 15:05:44 GMT)
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I live near Portsmouth Dockyard where "HMS Victory" is and have been to the naval museums there...wonderful!

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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-03-03 17:22:24 GMT)
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Ship of the Line
Ships of the Line were the most powerful sailing battleships afloat. They remained at the top until the advent of steam in the late 19th century. ...
www.woodentallships.com/ship-of-the-line.htm - Cached - Similar

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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-03-03 17:27:14 GMT)
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French battleships of the end of 18th century were considered to be the best vessels of their class. There were only a few battleships like the Royal Louis in a navy. At that time many fleets had three-decked battleships, but in 1780, however, none but the French navy had a 120-gun battleship.

If you have a look at the model, a thing that produces the utmost impression is the grand ornaments. By the end of 18th century most fleets, especially the British Navy, gave up decorating their ships luxuriously. But the French continued building the stern with richly carved galleries and balconies. The model's first-class castings reproduce these wonderful ornate carvings of the original Royal Louis perfectly.