Life in Nelson's Navy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Men of War

Men of War was a description of the ships themselves.

Idlers were men who were not on the current watch, so no matter what else they might be doing, they were to all intents and purposes, idle. Waisters were inexperienced crew who manned the centre part of the deck - the ship's "waist". Topmen were the fittest and most agile, who could shin up a mast and work on the sails in the fastest time - they were the elite amongst able seamen.

Answer: Being tied over a gun and thrashed on the buttocks

Usually reserved for midshipmen and younger members of the crew, a miscreant would be tied face down over the barrel of a gun and thrashed with a cane.
Source: Public Records Office PRO: ADM 1/4748

Answer: The number of carriage-mounted guns

Obviously, the larger the ship, the more guns and crew she could carry, and the greater her displacement. However, by Nelson's time the number of guns a ship could bring to bear on an enemy dictated her Rate. Only First, Second and Third Rates qualified as "Ships of the Line." However lesser-rated vessels also participated in combat.

Answer: An eighth of a pint of rum

Amazing as it may seem, a seaman aboard a Royal Navy ship was entitled to an eighth of a pint of "Pusser's Rum" every day! This is the equivalent of 5 standard pub measures - and its strength was over 50% greater than modern spirits.

Junior Ratings had this diluted 2:1 with water ("grog") but senior men could take theirs neat. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that this ration only ceased (even on nuclear submarines) on 31st July 1970. This date is now known in the RN as "Black Tot Day".

Answer: The Bosun's Mates

At the order "Boatswain's mate, do your duty" a sturdy seaman stepped forward with the cat - a short rope with a wooden handle, often red in colour, to which was attached nine waxed cords of equal length, each with a small knot in the end. With this the man was lashed on the bare back with a full sweep of the arm. After each dozen lashes a fresh boatswain's mate stepped forward to continue the punishment.
Source: "Royal Navy & Marine Customs and Traditions." http://www.hmsrichmond.org/avast/customs.htm

Answer: 1 shilling (5p) per day

Out of his 5p per day, deductions for Greenwich Hospital, the Chatham Chest, the chaplain and surgeon were made - however, his food and drink were free.
This rate of pay was fixed in 1797, after the mutinies of Spithead and the Nore - before which they hadn't had a pay rise for 144 years!

Answer: A type of sail

A small sail, triangular in shape, which sat above the Skysail.

Answer: Scouring the deck

The holystone was a block of sandstone that was used to sand down the deck. This was usually done at the beginning of the first watch of the day, and the purpose was to keep the deck smooth and clean.

Answer: 90 seconds

The British and American Navies had the fastest average rate of fire in the world - at a time when the ship that could hurl the most metal at its opponent in the shortest time usually won the fight. Most of this was due to a high emphasis placed on training by these navies.

Answer: False

Legally, the press gangs could only impress men between the ages of 15 and 55 who were already seamen or worked in other water-borne trades such as ferrymen or watermen, unless they had a document of immunity called a "Protection". However there were exceptions, especially in times of dire national threat when a "hot press" was declared, and nobody was exempt.

The impressment of foreign sailors was not unusual and it was the capture of American seamen that was one of the factors that led to the War of 1812