Comments on: Battlewagon Wednesday – 04 Feb 2009 http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/7283.html Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:42:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: DaveP. http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/7283.html/comment-page-1#comment-341601 DaveP. Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:10:30 +0000 http://www.murdoconline.net/?p=7283#comment-341601 Geek, generaly they DID have big crews. The difference is that, unlike modern ships, there was no "crew's quarters" or crew amenities; a sailor had his seabag and his hammock (which he slung wherever there was room, generally on the gundeck) and when he wasn't actually sleeping the hammock was rolled up and stowed. The heads were simple holes through a board and were outdoors on most ships (one reason that the bilges reeked so badly was that during very bad weather sailors wouldn't bother going out to the heads... think it through); there were no showers or mess area (the cook served on deck and you ate on deck or on the gundeck, with your own utensils which you cleaned afterwards); the sickbay and doctor's offices were miniscule, where present at all (many smaller ships didn't have the room) and combat aid was performed in the same tiny room the midshipmen had their berth (one room with bunks for all of them). The other officers had their own bunkroom (where the Marine officers also bunked), The Captain had had his own living space, doubling as his office an office (doubling as the officer's dining room, and also housing guns in the smaller ships) in all but the ships of the line... The USS Constitution, a big example of a frigate (one gundeck), had a full complememnt of 450 men and boys in a space 204 feet by 43 feet... The Victory was a Ship of the Line. It was much bigger. "Wooden ships and iron men"... Geek, generaly they DID have big crews. The difference is that, unlike modern ships, there was no “crew’s quarters” or crew amenities; a sailor had his seabag and his hammock (which he slung wherever there was room, generally on the gundeck) and when he wasn’t actually sleeping the hammock was rolled up and stowed. The heads were simple holes through a board and were outdoors on most ships (one reason that the bilges reeked so badly was that during very bad weather sailors wouldn’t bother going out to the heads… think it through); there were no showers or mess area (the cook served on deck and you ate on deck or on the gundeck, with your own utensils which you cleaned afterwards); the sickbay and doctor’s offices were miniscule, where present at all (many smaller ships didn’t have the room) and combat aid was performed in the same tiny room the midshipmen had their berth (one room with bunks for all of them). The other officers had their own bunkroom (where the Marine officers also bunked), The Captain had had his own living space, doubling as his office an office (doubling as the officer’s dining room, and also housing guns in the smaller ships) in all but the ships of the line…

The USS Constitution, a big example of a frigate (one gundeck), had a full complememnt of 450 men and boys in a space 204 feet by 43 feet… The Victory was a Ship of the Line. It was much bigger.
“Wooden ships and iron men”…

]]> By: Captain Ned http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/7283.html/comment-page-1#comment-341596 Captain Ned Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:55:38 +0000 http://www.murdoconline.net/?p=7283#comment-341596 Sailing men-of-war needed crews that size to work the sails and fight the guns. Each gun had a crew of at least 5, so to fully crew the guns that's 550 tars right there. Sailing men-of-war needed crews that size to work the sails and fight the guns. Each gun had a crew of at least 5, so to fully crew the guns that’s 550 tars right there.

]]> By: GeekLethal http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/7283.html/comment-page-1#comment-341589 GeekLethal Wed, 04 Feb 2009 21:21:39 +0000 http://www.murdoconline.net/?p=7283#comment-341589 Lost with (at least) 900 men? Holy cow. The Indianapolis lost about 880 when all was said and done. An 18th century vessel with a crew as large as a "modern" warship must have been something to see. Lost with (at least) 900 men? Holy cow. The Indianapolis lost about 880 when all was said and done.

An 18th century vessel with a crew as large as a “modern” warship must have been something to see.

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