I'm doing this in chunks because it's so HUGE. Here's chunk #2:
Ratings
When
signed on to a ship's books, a man was given a rating according to
his experience.
Freshmen to the sea were known as landsmen,
those with limited experience were ordinary seamen, while
knowledgeable sailors were rated able seamen.
Petty
or Warrant Officers
From the pool of able seamen came the
candidates for promotion to higher duties.
Petty Officers and
Warrant Officers included mast captains, gunner's mates,
quartermasters, master-at-arms, carpenter, bosun and cooper, the
ship's master, chaplain and surgeon.
Midshipmen
Midshipmen
were effectively on board a ship to help lieutenants control the
crew. If good enough, they could take command of small boats or
prizes. Winning promotion to lieutenant was the aim of most young
midshipmen who entered service in their early teens. Some, however,
were still in their lowly rank in their 30s, 40s and even older.
Lieutenants
Lieutenants
were the backbone of a ship's command structure, despite only being
on the first rung of the commissioned officer classification. As a
lieutenant, officers could expect a regular half-pay income, if put
in reserve by the Admiralty, but had numerous tasks to fulfill for
the security. They would command small boats, gun divisions in
battle, oversee a watch, and were most likely to lead dangerous
boarding or cutting-out parties. Depending upon the rating of a Royal
Navy vessel, there could be up to six lieutenants on board.
Commander
The
next step up from lieutenant was the rank of commander. Usually on
remote duty, a commander was effectively a captain in all but
official title.
Captain
The
absolute ruler on his ship, a captain had the power of life or death
over the crew. Some made ship-board life hell for all, while others
inspired a love from those they commanded. The captain was
responsible for the well-being of the crew, ensuring there were
enough of them to have the ship ready for service, and even paying
for extras to keep them happy. Elevation to admiral was pretty
automatic for captains and depended only upon seniority based upon
their date of commission.
Commodore
A
commodore was a captain promoted temporarily to take charge of a
detached naval squadron. Commodores on active service were usually
the ones the Admiralty had earmarked for the most senior ranks.
Admirals
Unemployment
on half-pay was often the lot of a British admiral. By the end of the
Napoleonic Wars fewer than a quarter of those available were on duty.
If an admiral went to sea, his flagship was usually that of the
fleet's junior captain.
Jschooltiger https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2b42u0/during_the_napoleonic_wars_how_young_were_naval/
Moderator | Shipbuilding and Logistics | British Navy 1770-1830
4 points · 4 years ago · edited 4 years ago
Great question! Yes, naval officers were often fairly young, and yes, midshipmen would often be in their early teens.
To become an officer in the Napoleonic period, a man would need to have entered the navy at a suitable age (certainly no older than 14) to build up enough sea time and practical experience to pass a lieutenant's examination, which required that the examining board be presented with evidence that he had spent six years at sea (at least two of them in the Navy) and that he "appeared" to be 20 years old, which was the minimum age to become a lieutenant. And yes, the point of boys going to sea that young was eventually to attain commissioned rank.
In the period of the Napoleonic wars, many boys went to sea as young as 11 or 12 to start building up the required sea time, or were at least put on ship's books by captains who were friends or relatives of their families to start building up the required sea time. It wasn't uncommon for boys to be placed on the books even earlier, and this practice (though technically illegal) was viewed with some benevolence, because as navigation (particularly finding longitude) became more complicated, most boys needed a few years of schooling ashore, particularly in mathematics.
Once a midshipman had built up the required sea time, he would have to sit for a lieutenant's examination in front of a panel of captains, where he would be grilled on practical seamanship, navigation, mathematics, geography, history or really anything else the board wanted to throw at him. There wasn't a standard examination, so it was quite possible that sympathetic boards could pass men rather easily (Horatio Nelson's stepson rather famously became a lieutenant at around 16 and a post-captain at 17, due to Nelson's intervention and "interest" in his future, despite being spectacularly unqualified for the job).
Once a man became a lieutenant, he would have to rely on luck and his own "interest" from sponsors for further promotion. The first lieutenant of a ship was often promoted after a successful action (this was seen as a compliment to his captain, oddly enough). A lieutenant's next step would be as a master and commander of a vessel; he would by courtesy be called a captain at that point, but it wasn't until he was promoted to captain of a post-ship that he would be called a post-captain, or just captain, and be assured of (if he lived long enough) dying an admiral. Once a man was a post-captain, his further promotion was entirely based on seniority on the list of captains. (What's a post-ship? In confusing logic, a post-ship is what a post-captain would command. In practical terms, it usually meant at least a frigate, although sometimes smaller ships were considered post-ships out of courtesy to a captain.)
So yes, it was common for boys to be midshipmen in the navy of the time. They could even command prizes and other ships (certainly with the strong help of an experienced warrant officer and other seamen) as part of their training, or command a ship's boat in a landing or cutting-out expedition. Many were killed or wounded in battle.
edit: Also, you may be interested in this thread, to which I contributed awhile back, on manning and promotions over time: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/29f3s7/how_does_the_royal_navys_organisation_command/
Please let me know if you have any follow ups!
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigate
A frigate (/ˈfrɪɡət/) is a type of warship, having various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.
In the 17th century, a frigate was any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built". These could be warships carrying their principal batteries of carriage-mounted guns on a single deck or on two decks (with further smaller carriage-mounted guns usually carried on the forecastle and quarterdeck of the vessel). The term was generally used for ships too small to stand in the line of battle, although early line-of-battle ships were frequently referred to as frigates when they were built for speed.
In the 18th century, frigates were full-rigged ships, that is square-rigged on all three masts, they were built for speed and handiness, had a lighter armament than a ship of the line, and were used for patrolling and escort. In the definition adopted by the British Admiralty, they were rated ships of at least 28 guns, carrying their principal armaments upon a single continuous deck – the upper deck – while ships of the line possessed two or more continuous decks bearing batteries of guns.
In the late 19th century (beginning about 1858 with the construction of prototypes by the British and French navies), the armoured frigate was a type of ironclad warship that for a time was the most powerful type of vessel afloat. The term "frigate" was used because such ships still mounted their principal armaments on a single continuous upper deck.
In modern navies, frigates are used to protect other warships and merchant-marine ships, especially as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combatants for amphibious expeditionary forces, underway replenishment groups, and merchant convoys. Ship classes dubbed "frigates" have also more closely resembled corvettes, destroyers, cruisers and even battleships. Some European navies such as the French, German or Spanish ones use the term "frigate" for both their destroyers and frigates.[citation needed] The rank "frigate captain" derives from the name of this type of ship.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sail_plan
A sail plan is a set of drawings, usually prepared by a naval architect which shows the various combinations of sail proposed for a sailing ship. Alternatively, as a term of art, it refers to the way such vessels are rigged as discussed below.[1]
The combinations shown in a sail plan almost always include three configurations:
A light air sail plan. Over most of the Earth, most of the time, the wind force is Force 1 or less. Thus a sail plan should include a set of huge, lightweight sails that will keep the ship underway in light breezes.
A working sail plan. This is the set of sails that are changed rapidly in variable conditions. They are much stronger than the light air sails, but still lightweight. An economical sail in this set will include several sets of reefing ties, so the area of the sail can be reduced in a stronger wind.
A storm sail plan. This is the set of very small, very rugged sails flown in a gale, to keep the vessel under way and in control.
In all sail plans, the architect attempts to balance the force of the sails against the drag of the underwater keel in such a way that the vessel naturally points into the wind. In this way, if control is lost, the vessel will avoid broaching (turning edge-to-the wind), and being beaten by breaking waves. Broaching always causes uncomfortable motion, and in a storm, the breaking waves can destroy a lightly built boat. The architect also tries to balance the wind force on each sail plan against a range of loads and ballast. The calculation assures that the sail will not knock the vessel sideways with its mast in the water, capsizing and perhaps sinking it.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&biw=1283&bih=708&ei=QSsVXdaMGcXi-gTurp3gDg&q=What+are+the+ropes+on+a+ship+called&oq=What+are+the+ropes+on+a+ship+called&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i22i30l3.40398.47611..48086...1.0..0.235.4566.0j35j1....2..0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i273j0i131j0i67j0i10j33i160j0i22i10i30.9a6BhN0PKeI
Actually, only a few of the "ropes" on a boat are called ropes, most are called lines. Ropes or wires that hold up masts are collectively known as standing rigging and are called shrouds or stays (the stay connecting the top of the mast to the bow is the forestay or headstay).
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