Late 17th century was the age of the Buccaneer
British Navy in 1812
191 Ships of the Line with 60-80 Guns
245 Frigates with 30-50 Guns
American Navy in 1812
0 Ships of the Line with 60-80 guns
7 Frigates with 30-50 guns
(Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton went home daily at noon because he was too drunk to be of any use after noon.)
Cannons /Crew/Shares
38 separate commands that directed a single firing of a cannon.
9 pound cannons = 7-8 men crew
24 pound cannons = 8-10 man crew
Upper gun deck = 9 pounders
Lower gun ports = 24 pounders
Crew: one man for every 9 tons of ship
Shares: owner=2/3
Crew=1/3
Captain=24 shares
Masters mate=10 shares
Carpenters=6 shares
Seaman=2 1/2 shares Landman=1 share Surgeon=9 shares
Share= 42lbs to 1000 lbs depending on booty
HMS Centurion Booty from the Manila Galleon
1,313,843 Pieces of Eight
35,682 Ounces of virgin silver
Total prize money divided by 8 parts
Anson Captain and commander of 1740 Expedition received 3/8 parts of the whole booty.
Shares divided between: One Captain, Three Lieutenants, One Master, One Boatswain, One Carpenter, One Gunner, Two Master Mates
Diet: one man per week 1740’s
7 lbs Biscuit, flour or beans
7 pints Wine, or ½ pint Brandy
1 lb Fresh Beef or turtle
3 lbs Jerked Beef
3 lbs Pork
1 qt Peas or equivalent
3 pints Barley meal
1 lb Sugar
Hard tack. A simple dried bread made from flour and water. Baked into moisture-free rock to precent spoilage, hardtack had to be broken into small pieces or soaked in water before it was eaten, if a sailor didn’t want to crack a tooth.
Diseases:
Ships’ fever (typhus)
Fluxes
Bloody Flux
The itch
Pox and other distempers
Dry gripes
Scurvy
Before 1770 half the crew would be lost to tooth rotting, bone-decaying, debilitating scurvy.
April 14, 1748 King George II chose first uniform was for officers only. A blue coat faced with white.
