(no subject)

[quigonejinn]

Officers
-- volunteers: could go to sea as young as eleven if they were the sons of officers. otherwise, minimum age of thirteen. new class instituted after 1794 -- after both Horatio and Bush joined before that and would have been "captain's servants." Did not formally wait on the servants, were not officers, but were expected to pass into midshipman-hood.

- midshipmen: and had to spend at least three years (accroding to Lavery, Wiki says two w/minimum of 4 years before sitting for the lieutenant exam) at sea before they could be called this. ranged in age from the age of 15-22. (note: this means that Bush could NOT have "begun life" in the Navy as a midshipman and that Horatio couldn't be brand-new to the sea. . . was the regulation not strictly followed? or did both Bush and HOratio get entered into the books three years before they went ot sea so that when they did go to sea, they could step on as midshipmen -- common practice?)

- lieutenants: must be at least nineteen with six years of service. severity of the lieutenant's exam varied substantially -- not usually as terrifying as indicated in both books and movies, particularly if you had connections. frequently knew the people who were examining you, esp. if your family was in the Navy. see ex. passing certificate p. 96

Lieutenant pay: 8.8.0 (eight pounds, eight shillings) per month in 1808. half-pay would therefore be 4.4.0, and each week, would be 1.1.0. Which accords with the scale that we're given in Lieutenant Hornblower -- Hornblower gets half a guinea (guinea = 21 shillings) or 10 shillings 6 pence, and Bush remarks that his half pay is more than double that. (22 shillings v. 10.6, so it's double but not ALL THAT MUCH MORE, BUSH, YOU FOOL)
- lieutenant pay constant across ships. NOT TRUE of captains.
- 1808: lt pay = half of what the captain of a sixth-rate got.

Lieutenant duties, on ships where enough for this kind of division:
- first lieutenant responsible for administration of ship, did not keep watch. (Consistent with what we hear Sawyer say to Buckland about his idle time)
- one lieutenant might be in charge of mess, one lieutenant might be in charge of signals, etc. Flexibility in arrangement according to captain's desires.
- during battle, first lieutenant stood with captain, ready to take over in case anything went wrong, and each subordinate lieutenant typically took responsiblity for half a deck of guns.
- appointment of acting lieutenants as necessary and under captain's discretion -- record of an acting lieutenant William Weiss on the Nereid in 1810 who hadn't even served out his time as a
- if shorthanded, captain or the lieutenant might take watch.

Advancing from lieutenant -> commander

Three ways:

1. Patronage. (Not reserved forgreat lords -- if family had influence on election to Parliament, could exert pressure. Admiraly gneerally tried to resist. Note, just for fun, about how Edward Pellew <3 <3 <3 got his son promoted to captain at a v. early age <3 <3 <3 and that the son later proved to be v. capable. See also Historical Pellew notes below.)
   Ships
   - French generally considered better designed.
   - HEBE -- the nam eof Lady B's maid -- one of the mostcopied seized French ships. XD
   
   
   
   Book says that Pellew got one of his sons promoted v. early and book says that later proved to be v. capable (unlike this other admiral who got his son promoted, kid got court-martialled for losing ship)
   
   Presumably NOT Pownell Bastard Pellew -- son no. 1 who rose to the rank of post-captain when he was thirty. Was, incidentally, born exactly three days before Horatio :D :D :D. Seemed to have remained a post-captain -- Pellew didn't die until 1833.
   
   Presumably, INSTEAD, Pellew's second son, Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew who later became a Knight of the Order of Bath and of the Order of Hanover, as well as a Rear-Admiral. Born late in the same year that Pellew married a woman by the name of Susannah Frowde whose father came from Wiltshire. Possible scandal?
   
   Definite scandal(ish)-- Pellew didn't marry, in fact, until 1789, thirteen years after birth of Pownell. No mother listed for Pownell no matter how I dig, and ;lgh;ldifj THUS EXPLAINING THE BASTARD APPELATION :D :D :D PELLEW DOESN'T HAVE COMPLETELY AWFUL TASTE IN NAMES AFTER ALL. Correlation of birth dates suggests fascinating son-replacement stuff to play out if you want to go with the relationship between movie!Pellew and Horatio.
   
   Interestingly: Pownell becomes the second viscount Exmouth, though, NOT the first legitimately-born son. May be the regular thing, but interesting scope for postulating that Pellew skivvied son 2's career along a bit as recompense and dfjlkjgdf.