The Royal Navy in 1973 Flashcards
How many ships of the line and how many frigates did the RN have in 1973?
- 135 Ships of the Line with 100’s of crew and over 70 guns
- 133 Frigates with 28-36 guns on the ships
How many seamen and officers did the RN have in 1973?
20,000 seaman and officers
What was the purpose of Ships of the Line?
Larger, carrying 100’s of men and used a sail to navigate in battle
What was the purpose of Frigates?
Smaller, faster ships in continued action, patrolling and scouting merchant men
What were broadsides used for and what did the RN do with smaller ships?
- Broadsides (firing all the guns at once) were often used with warships
- Smaller ships were often boarded, seized and renamed for RN use
What is a Closed Blockade?
Used by the main fleet, sailing near the enemy port to effectively lock them in
What is an Open Blockade?
Main fleet is at port whilst frigates patrol and report any enemy movement
What made the gunnery on RN ships particularly great, how did this give the RN an advantage?
- They usually had around 70 guns
- 32 pounder guns fired a 32 pound cannon ball
- These were manned by 7 sailors, a gun captain and they worked to haul these 3 tonne guns on decks only 5’6
- They fired them every 1 and a half minutes, much faster than their opposition
Why did people volunteer to join the RN?
- They did it to avoid debtors prison
- For an income and to be fed
Conscription was not used, what was used? (It was basically conscription)
Impressment:
- Forced sailors between 15 and 55 to join the Navy and press groups went out to find men in bars etc
- Captains would sometimes press those from merchant ships into service
- Quota systems were in place for each are to ensure they provide a certain number of seamen
What was the difference in pay between Naval Seamen and Merchant Seamen?
Navel Seamen were paid £1.50 a month whereas Merchant Seamen were paid double
What were conditions of work like on RN ships?
- Sailors slept in hammocks, only 35cm of space
- Food consistent of fresh fruit and vegetables to prevent scurvy (lots of beer too)
- Pay had not risen since 1652
- Work was physically intensive
- Sailors could be at sea for years
How did the RN deal with ill discipline on its ships?
- Whippings with the cat-o-nine tails
- A whip with 9 knots inside it
Who was PM and how was comptroller of the navy?
- PM William Pitt
- Comptroller Rear Admiral Charles Middleton
How did the RN stop waste and corruption?
- Dockyards were more closely supervised
- New docks were built at Portsmouth and Plymouth
- Stock of timber and rope were built up
