Finding Your Way Around a Warship - 1 Quiz

Answer: 1600 - 1800 hours (4pm to 6pm)

There are two dog watches, one after the other. Since you have the first one, you will be on watch from 1600 - 1800 hours this evening, the second dog watch being from 1800 - 2000 hours. You will have another overnight watch as well. The dog watches allowed the men to avoid standing the same watches every day, therefore "dodging" watches, later corrupted to "dogging" and finally "dog".

Answer: Ropes that attach to clews on a sail, pulled tight to allow it to draw

A sheet is a term still used by sailors to describe the rope that holds a sail in place, and on a fore and aft rig is used to adjust the sail's angle to the wind direction, and thereby add or reduce thrust.

Answer: In the West Indies between 30 and 40 degrees north

In the ocean area near the West Indies ships would often be becalmed for days or weeks, and to save water ships would sometimes toss horses and cattle overboard. This happened frequently enough that the area came to be known as the "horse latitudes".

Answer: Belaying pins

Those are all real things on a sailing vessel of the era. Belaying pins were found all over the ship, however, and made a handy weapon when the moment called for it.

Answer: The Blue Peter

The Blue Peter, a blue and white flag, was flown at the foretruck of a naval ship notifying shore parties of its intention to sail on the tide, meaning soon, and so ship's company and passengers should get aboard.

Answer: Beef stew thickened with ships' biscuit

That one may have been a little obvious. But those are all real foods of sailors of the era.

Answer: Corvette

Corvettes generally were equivalent to the Royal Navy's sixth rates, or post-ships, and carried about 20 guns. They were captained by a Capitaine de corvette, the equivalent of a commander in the Royal Navy, and were used for various missions, often on detached service. Gunboats were used primarily for shore defense, usually carrying one large gun, and a 74 was a third rate ship of the line that was a major battleship of the era.

Answer: Nippers

And that is why they call boys "nippers".

Answer: All of it

A major incentive for captains and crews of that era was prize money. The captain received two eighths, and the admiral under whose orders he sailed received an eighth, unless the ship was under Admiralty orders, in which case the captain received that eighth as well.

The crew received the rest, dividing it in precise portions according to rank. The barely literate suddenly became human calculators with a fat prize in tow.

Answer: You crossed the equator

Most navies of the world have a ceremony for crossing the equator involving various forms of hazing. Over the years such hijinks have become more tame, but during the Napoleonic Wars era it was a rough business indeed.