The Royal Navy before 1793

Question 1

What did Nelson’s first captain say about his abilities as a sailor / fighter?

Answer 1

“What had poor Horace done who is so weak that he above all the rest should be sent to rough it out at sea?”

Question 2

What is ‘coppering’?

Answer 2

coating the underside of the hull of a ship in copper panels
–> improved the speed and manoeuvrability of ship
–> introduced by Charles Middleton, Comptroller of the Navy in 1779

Question 3

What were ships of the line?

Answer 3

main battleships
- had over 70 guns
- crews consisted of hundreds of men

Question 4

How many ships of the line did the Royal Navy have in 1793?

Answer 4

135

Question 5

What were frigates?

Answer 5

smaller and faster ships
- had 28-36 guns
- used for scouting, patrolling, conveying merchants

Question 6

How many frigates did the Royal Navy have in 1793?

Answer 6

133

Question 7

How many ships in commission did the Royal Navy have in 1793?

Answer 7

125

Question 8

How many officers and sea men did the Royal Navy have in 1793?

Answer 8

20,000

Question 9

What was a broadside?

Answer 9

the firing of all guns on one side of a ship simultaneously

Question 10

What tactics were often used by the Royal Navy in battle? (4)

Answer 10

• broadsides
• blockades
• if close enough, enemy ships were often boarded by the crew
• captured enemy ships were repaired, renamed, and reused

Question 11

What was an open blockade?

Answer 11

when frigates patrolled the enemy port and sailed back and forth to inform the main fleet of any activity, which wasn’t stationed too far

Question 12

What was a closed blockade?

Answer 12

when the main fleet sailed close to the enemy port, intercepting any ships that tried to enter/exit

Question 13

What was standard gun procedure?

Answer 13

• since 1745, every RN ship had to practice gunnery every day
• each gun was manned by a team of 7 sailors
• gun captains were responsible for the aiming and firing of a gun

Question 14

At what speed could British seamen release a broadside?

Answer 14

one every 1.5 minutes
–> speed of broadsides could determine the outcome of a battle

Question 15

From which background did most British naval officers come?

Answer 15

the professional middle class
- often sons or relations of naval officers
- family influence could ensure that some officers were fast-tracked
- often began career in the navy at the age of 12, as midshipmen

Question 16

What was the navy’s recruitment issue and its solution?

Answer 16

there was no conscription, however, not enough people were signing up voluntarily
–> impressment
–> criminals offered joining navy as alternative to sentence

Question 17

What was impressment?

Answer 17

The Impressment Service had the power to force seafarers (15-55y/o) into the Royal Navy

Question 18

How did the impressment system work?

Answer 18

• press gangs were sent around the country the recruit suitable men
• captains were also allowed to press merchant seamen into service, as long as they replaced them with one of their own crew

Question 19

What was the quota system?

Answer 19

(impressment) each county had to supply a certain number of volunteers based on its population and number of seaports

Question 20

What was the typical pay of an able-bodied naval seamen in 1793?

Answer 20

• 22s.6d
• half of a merchant seamen’s wage
• no wage increase since 1652
• paid often months in arrears

Question 21

Where did sailors sleep?

Answer 21

Hammocks, 14 inches wide

Question 22

How did sailors eat?

Answer 22

• guaranteed 5,000 calories per day because of physically demanding work
• food wasn’t very nutritious

Question 23

What was the discipline like?

Answer 23

quite harsh
–> could be flogged with the cat-O’-9-tails (a whip with nine knotted tails)

Question 24

How were crews rewarded for capturing ships?

Answer 24

could win money from selling captured enemy ships
–> officers were given the lion’s share but crewmen did receive something

Question 25

What improvements had been made to the RN before 1793? (no gunnery)

Answer 25

• sailors given fruit and vegetables to prevent scurvy
• dockyards were supervised closely to minimise waste and corruption
• coppering (less repairs and better mobility)

Question 26

What improvements had been made to gunnery in the RN before 1793?

Answer 26

• carronade invented and implemented
• ordnance board stated that new guns should be fired 30 times before being accepted
• gunlocks replaced slowmatches (more efficient = faster broadsides)

Question 27

What was a carronade

Answer 27

a cast-iron cannon that was fast, light, able to swivel, with a short fat muzzle
–> fitted ti the forecastles and sterns of warships
–> unmatched by the French

Question 28

What was a grapeshot?

Answer 28

an iron shot contained in a canvas bag that scatters when fired

Question 29

What was the Ordnance Board?

Answer 29

the government agency responsible for arms, armament, and munitions

Question 30

What was a comptroller of the navy?

Answer 30

the head of the Navy Board; responsible for building and maintaining ships