Michala Woodruff

Halfway through! On our fourth tour of a 1700s ship-of-the-line, we’ll be exploring the captain’s quarters. Ever seen a movie with a captain on an old ship? Such movies can show us what old captain quarters look like; we’ll touch on this too. But what does a captain do besides give orders? After this post, you may see a captain’s role differently.

            First, let’s talk about what the captain does before setting sail on the great high seas. The USS Constitution Museum Rank and Rates explains, “According to the official naval regulations issued to officers, the captain’s first duty was to prepare his ship for sea, which included making inventories of all stores and equipment, creating account books, recruiting a crew, and overseeing all the various tasks performed prior to a cruise” (https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/discover-learn/history/ships-crew/ranks-and-rates/). “[C]reating account books?” We’ll get to the book part in a moment.

Next, let’s address where we are. The captain has his own bedroom, which can be the same room that his office is in. John Lawson’s H.M.S. Temeraire (http://topwarshipsgames.logdown.com/posts/2494340-man-o-war-ship-drawings) expresses that the captain’s bed is actually his casket. Other officers get separate rooms from the other sailors, as well. However, the captain is the one who gets his own privy, but . . . let’s focus on the captain’s office.

            Thirdly, here in the captain’s office is where we’ll dive into the captain’s work. Paperwork! Each captain has a log to fill out, recording weather and such. The Regulations for the Government of the United States Navy, 1865 will help us understand more about this paperwork. (I did my best to copy the actual document; however, there will be some slight differences). Here is a graph from page 245:

		Description of guns.	Number.	Pounders, or calibre.	Weight.	Length.
How armed*…            u{	On lower deck…. On middle deck… On main deck….. On upper deck…. On poop…………				Cwt.        qrs.	Ft.   inches.

                          “*The number, weight, and description of rifled guns to be inserted separately.”

            Page 246-247 shows a bundle of questions a captain would fill in such as “Does she ride easy at her anchors?” and “Does she roll easy or uneasy in the trough of the sea?” Here the captain also must describe the sail and compare the rate of sailing with other ships.

Here’s something like the graph that’d be filled out for an enlisted sailor (page 150):

	Ship’s number.
	Names. (Alphabetically arranged, without regard to ratings, with surnames to the left.)
	Rating.
	Year of enlistment.
	Month of enlistment.
	Day of enlistment.
	Where enlisted.
	Term of enlistment.
	Place or vessel from which received.
	City, town, or county where born.
	State where born.
	State of which a citizen.
	Years. Age.
	Occupation.
	Eyes.
	Hair.
	Complexion.
	Height. Feet. Inches.

            A death record from Regulations for the Government of the United States Navy, 1865 page 258:

NAMES.	Date of death.	What disease or accident.	Where deceas’d	Latest service, & c.	ENLISTMENT. When. Where. Rating.	WHERE BORN. City, town, or county.       State.	Age.

            Last form for today, here’s a discharge from page 259:

NAMES.	Date of discharge.	CAUSE. (Expiration of term, disability, own request, in disgrace, or otherwise.)	Latest service, &e.	ENLISTMENT. When. Where. Rating.	WHERE BORN. City, town, or county.     State.	Age.

Fourth, the surgeon of the ship comes into the captain’s office to give a report of patients’ progress. Not only does the surgeon report to the captain, but lieutenant reports sailors concerns and such. Talk about from word to word.

            Finally, we simply cannot talk about a captain without talking about his ordering role on a ship. According to USS Constitution Museum Rank and Rates (https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/discover-learn/history/ships-crew/ranks-and-rates/ ), the captain is stationed on the quarterdeck when in battle; the captain direct navigation, sails, and the battle itself.

            Many captains throughout history have shown brave courage and loyalty. Their jobs are so complex and important that we’ve only scratched the surface, but I hope this helps. I highly recommend rooting through the Regulations for the Government of the United States Navy, 1865; you’ll find many more fun stuff in there. Here’s the link: https://civilwarnavy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Regulations-of-the-US-Navy-1865.pdf

            I hope y’all have been enjoying this ship series. Let me know what you think in the “Leave a Reply” box below, in the “Contact” form above, or even by email. You’re welcome to shoot me a question or a “Hey there” anytime. I’d love to hear from you! One more thing, stay tuned for the next touring post. Wanna take a guess what we’ll be exploring next? Scroll down under the “Leave a Reply” box to find out.

            We’ll be exploring the galley (kitchen) next time! (;