Could You Survive in the Lord Nelson’s Royal Navy?

I got in somewhat of an argument on Quora with two contemporary British Navy guys who claimed the Royal Navy's harsh treatment of common sailors was exaggerated. I posted from history and even the Greenwich Museum. They claimed the cruelty was minor and seldom happened, a real attempt to white wash the documented history. To be fair it was not limited to the British Navy. Common sailors were treated horribly the world over during the age of sail. Many having wages delayed and sometimes not paid, to say nothing of the flogging, disease, and generally poor treatment.

I had a captain ancestor at the battle of Ushant.
He survived. Did quite well. Wouldnt want to be a powder monkey though.

Too much overdrama and arm and hand waving all over the place 😢

As hard as life was back then ant lest that was a good career move for poor men

NO! 🙀 My cat said he couldn't survive too

Well presented and filmed but too many advertisements! Irritating!

I am just trying to think how many different types trades would be needed to build and maintain ships in those days.

The rope made for the Royal navy had a colored thread running the length to differentiate between civilian and navy to prevent theft.
The ideal maneuver was to cross the stern and fire the great guns at the ship. The grape or shot would travel the length of the ship killing as it went.
Apparently when a sailor was hung it was often referred to as being 'stabbed with a Bridport dagger'. Since a lot of Navy rope was manufactured there.
Ships of that period had what was called a Lady Hole. A small room far below the waterline and situated right behind the rudder where important people and documents could be stowed safely during battle.
Toilets were exposed and were located at the bow of the ship.

Pressed men were effectively slaves.

Flogging had rules and better then getting keel hauled

actually , against scurvy , which they didn't know the root cause of course , the dried onion is as effective as citrus fruits .

Just out of interest the training of the crew if I interpret things correctly was on the job, on ship (for new crew members)??????? What about the ships Officers? What training did they get?

That's when we had a Navy to be proud of not the Toy town collection we've got now after successive abject Failure by our stinking CORRUPT SO CALLED POLITICIANS !!

I heard the expression Wooden ships iron men, Iron ships wooden men.

Dan has never used a brush in his whole life until this day.

Oh why does this guy carry on like a 2 Bob watch.
The information is not bad but his carry on is outrageous.
Looks like his Arthritis is playing up, poor bugger.
Wright the stuff but please give it to a good presenter.

Wow! History Hit and Mr. Dan Snow this is awesome history presentation!! Thank you!

I’d like to know how much money the Press Gangs of the period where being paid for their labour by the Royal Navy of crown at the time.

My late wife’s forebear Marine John Thompson of Little Swaffham nr Cambridge (now Swaffham Bulbeck) was on board HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar!.

"We're going to outlaw slavery. Except for water slaves, that's different."

Every finger a fishhook

And the left complain about standards in today's world god help us in the next great struggle

Reminds me of that Pogues album "Rape sodomy and the Lash"

My ancestors didnt even have to; 1st Catholic King of Norway, England, Bloody Mary, the America prison colony system, the American post revolutionary prison colony system,..

The first US Navy ship I served on was the USS Oklahoma City. She had teak decks and members of the first division had to holy stone the decks.

So they were slaves.

No.
What's next?

Having served in the British military, I find it interesting that Nelson understood the importance of good food to keep up morale. But recent senior officers didn’t understand this and allowed awful, private companies to feed our troops.

When it was my turn in the barrel i'd jump overboard

Feminists should take a long hard look at history , men have been enslaved, fought , bled, suffered and died for centuries.

Yeah lets not forget there was a syphilis epidemic underway throughout Europe at that time, nor Winston Churchill's famous quote "the traditions of the Royal Navy are rum, sodomy and the lash,'" or Horatio Nelson's final words "kiss me Hardy" that indicate he was into "boy love" as well .. thus it seems to me that virtually the entire RN manpower list would be syphilitic .. sounds like impressed ppl would be sexually assaulted, raped thence poxed up the minute they came aboard .. from what I have seen of them things don't seem to have changed much.

we are seeing the same thing today but in ukraine for the infantry

I would watch this video if Dan Snow wasn’t presenting it , his style is appalling “jackanory” sums it up, all presentation and little content if it hadn’t been for his famous father he’d be working flipping burgers

No. Saved myself 45 minutes.

When Dan is shooting the gun, who pops up behind the ships wheel? After Dan says "nice and close and then" the guy pops up.

Shooting off the side on the lake 👌 sounds a good idea can't Belive they did that

Yeah. I'm fucking rock hard mate.

Brilliant in depth documentary, thoroughly enjoyed...

Noah built a ship that big with very little

One problem gents Nelson time first rate ship will have much thicker hull sides than your lovely planking, especially on the lower decks. HMS Victory had a hull thickness of two ft at the water line. Further naval gunnery was not as simple exercise as shooting from your fixed position. This is why boarding was such a common occurrence at that time.

In the Second World War there was conscription, not much has changed.

No one born in the last fifty years would stand a chance, most of the new generation couldn’t even survive in the comforts of the 21st century navy. I don’t think Nelson cared too much about hurty feelings, vegan diets or pronouns, let alone moisturiser for men being in very short supply back then.

Thanks

The Royal Navy might have been the best seamen, but everything I have read, both fiction and not, states the best ships were actually the ones built by the French.

It was the same in La Royale! it was not a english specifity...

Only one rope on a ship (old and new)please reply

"I can see him from my window, they can see him from the water Just a victim of the press gang"