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

[@jameswaterfield]

One of my ancestors did, he was pressed into the navy, twice (once he got away!). He was a protected man, being a married man and ships master in the East India Company. It didn't stop him eventually being pressed into the Navy, where he served as a Master's Mate during the second battle of Copenhagen.

[@JN003]

In days of old, a man of grace, A ship's master with steady pace, In East India's Company's employ, A life of peace, a man of joy. Married, he was, a love so true, With duties in a foreign view, Yet fate had other plans in store, As war's harsh call, it did implore. Pressed into the Navy's care, A Master's Mate, he took his share, In Copenhagen's battle dire, He faced the tempest, guns, and fire. A man protected by his past, From commerce to the battle's blast, His courage shone in times of strife, A married man's devoted life.

[@jameswaterfield]

@@JN003 if you wrote this, you should publish it. It's brilliant, thank you.

[@Biggles2498]

I failed my 2nd Mates Orals twice having passed Writtens with Distinction 1983. Captain Dunn who was my Examiner explained to me that I was using Rule 2 of The Collision Regulations in rare cases too much which was my Downfall. Yes I passed on 3rd Attempt.

[@formxshape]

There’s a few folk songs that mention press gangs, eg. The Banks of Sweet Dundee.

[@skillzsett7958]

Cool

[@alexanderbrougham6405]

Heart of oak are our ships, heart of oak are our men; We always are ready, steady, boys, steady! We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.

[@KS2teacher18]

...Jolly Tars are our men...

[@bradmiller7486]

​@@GreybeardWandersHearts of oak /From the PRINTED MUSIC of the age. Do some research.

[@aaronsinger]

@@bradmiller7486 The lyric was written by the English playwright and actor, David Garrick. David Garrick was a schoolboy who became an entertainer. Not a Navy man. Not even close. He went to school until he was 20 years old, quite a privilege in those days. So "Jolly Tars" was probably BS then as it is now. Don't tell Navy people to do more research, you look childish and silly.

[@melissapinol7279]

Whenever I hear this song, I can't help thinking of Jean-Luc Picard.

[@scaryfakevirus]

@@GreybeardWanders The term Tars was adopted because tar was used on their hair to protect it fom the salty environment. Why say you have no idea when you don't know?

[@MLE750]

The maritime skills involved in entering, never mind winning, a sea battle at that time is mind-blowing.

[@royalhero4608]

No one can ever imagine what Trafalgar must have been like. The noise, the smoke, the screams. Men of solid iron back then, for sure

[@stayhungry1503]

not as if they had a choice

[@mariuscheek]

Yep, and the gun decks were painted red to disguise the blood

[@Watankatanka]

The English today, no spine left and the enemy is taking the country from within. Congrats!

[@ShubhamBhushanCC]

​@@Watankatanka god aren't you an idiot. Those were not men of steel. Most of those men were left to die on the streets. Read Memoirs of John Nicol. Only a lucky few managed to get permanent berths in Royal Naval Hospital in Greenwich. Stop thinking that it was all hunky Dory. Poor men were pressed into service and often died of disease.

[@cuebj]

@@Watankatanka In Napoleonic era, lots of pro-French in UK. It was quite a close run thing to continue the war due to differences of opinion in Parliament

[@kixigvak]

I was a journalist in Sarajevo during the seige in 1993 and was twice press ganged to go to the front line and dig trenches. Both times the guy in charge spotted me as a reporter and told me to get off the truck. The other guys were not too happy about where they were going.

[@mjspice100]

Who press ganged you for this? Did you not have something identifying you as a journalist?

[@kixigvak]

In Sarajevo during the seige criminal gangs took over a lot of these functions. I did have ID but it was in my pocket. But at that time ID wasn't used much. @@mjspice100

[@lauralafauve5520]

I wish the Israeli government was as supportive of the press as the soldiers of Sarajevo.

[@SusCalvin]

I also read about that. The militias could grab people for work detail for some day. This is still at the front, so these work details are mortared or shelled or sniped now and then.

[@stephanl1983]

Another reason why the Officers quarters were in the rear, the Royal Marines had their quarters between the Officers and Warrant Officers, and the crew, and they always had their weapons by their hands. The crew weapons were stored in the armory for which the Master at Arms had the keys. So in case of a Mutiny the crew Had No access to pistols, muskets or cutlasses. For the same reason the Marines were positioned between the Officers and the crew during a punishment.

[@jackthunderbolt4307]

What kept the Marines from joining the mutinity or attacking officers during punishments?

[@sld1776]

Social separation. Notice that the most famous mutiny, that if the Bounty, didn't have a contingent of Marines.

[@stephanl1983]

@@jackthunderbolt4307 Marines had beside Guard duties and lifting the anchor no ship duties. You have to stood guard in front of the Captain's Cabine, the alcohol depot or the powder magazine, doing some excercise with your musket or in your battle station and enjoy yor yourney. They were privileged, compared to the seamen. If you were pressed into the Royal Navy, one of the first things you see would be a Detachment of Marines, escorting the Press Gang. Now imagine you are one of these Marines, wouldn't you in case of a mutiny fear revenge from these guys, who makes you responsible for their situation? Which people would a brutal Captain use to enforce his tyranny? His Officers, NCI's and the Marines. If you are locked in irons before your punishment, who would stood guard, who would escort you to your punishment? Some Marines. If you are in brawl with some of your shipmates, it would be finished by the Boatswain and some Marines, and the Boatswain would use his stick and the Marines the buttstocks of their muskets. They wouldn't be careful, they would response quick and hard to enforce discipline. Compare the situation of the Marines with Police Officers in Whitechapel, or Cops in the Five Points in New York in the later 19th century, they weren't very popular with the people. Or compare it with coloured foremen on plantation, they would be among the first to be killed in case of a slave revolt. If you had good Captain, who took care of his men, why would you start a mutiny?

[@donnashelley3939]

Interesting, I was taught that Marines were heavily used in boarding parties. Is that so?@@stephanl1983

[@ilcorvo9559]

@@stephanl1983also worth considering - if you were a royal marine who took part in the mutiny after being involved in all of the above - why would the mutineers trust you once the deed is done?

[@ChrisB-u4n]

You can today, board "The Endevour" in Fremantle, Western Australia (when she is in port, or maybe even a port near you. She sails worldwide) you experience first hand, what it is like to board and work on one of these mighty ships. It's not something you will ever forget. It makes you even more proud of the men that served. My forefathers (Codrington Ball) served under most of the famous british admirals, they were even mentioned in dispatches for gallantry, amongst other mentions. Fantastic reading their journals. All the mutinies and chaos they endured but still came out on top.

[@dave1994jones]

A lot if not all cannons in the British Navy would have used a flint lock mechanism to fire the cannons, first introduced in 1745 mainly as it made it so much safer because you don't need a constantly smouldering slow burn fuse. Something the French hadn't yet adopted by Trafalgar

[@OscarDirlwood]

Due to Britain's industrialism, the quality of the cannon were also much sturdier. Allowing them to fire more before they became inoperable.

[@andreasschmidt2739]

its called gun lock and apart from the safety it had another advantage. When firing you didn´t have to stand beside the cannon but could stand behind it allowing you to aim at the target.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

@@andreasschmidt2739 dude you can never stand behind a muzzle loading cannon of that era whether it uses a lock or a slow match simply because of the recoil.

[@andreasschmidt2739]

@@ashleighelizabeth5916 Yes you can do that. You just have to keep some distance and stand slightly offset that is to say not stand in one line with the cannon.

[@reecedignan8365]

@@ashleighelizabeth5916 Actually it was standard training for British gun chief to stand behind the gun when firing. As noted above they’d the mechanism and it would be linked with a cord which allows them to pull. The gun would also be semi-anchored to the floor which while it would recoil back, the gun chief knew exactly how far he had on distance to such - usually as far as the cord could stretch before tugging to fire.

[@lextalionis0]

I had an ancestor that fought at Trafalgar…a common seamen. The only anecdote of his life is that it was reported he once fell from the highest rigging and landed on his feet without injury.

[@morningstar9233]

He wasn't the ship's mouser was he?

[@bobmiller7502]

@@morningstar9233 maybe the ships cat,they always land on there feet

[@morningstar9233]

A "mouser" is a term for cat, Bob@@bobmiller7502

[@shelonnikgrumantov5061]

It would be an insult to say he was a cat - he was a panther!

[@morningstar9233]

These ships weren't known for having panthers on board but they certainly employed cats to hunt rodents in the hold. @@shelonnikgrumantov5061

[@fidget18s48]

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.

[@tomhay5516]

That's because the powers that be are more interested in lining their donors pockets, rather than providing the level of equipment and supplies that the brave members of our armed forces deserve.

[@External2737]

In Nelson's Navy, lots of corruption with food. For Trafalgar, he cracked down.

[@Tadicuslegion78]

"The floggings will continue until morale improves'-British captain just before he was thrown overboard

[@samuelgarrod8327]

Early fragging.

[@merccadoosis8847]

with gang rapes as group initiation - then they were forced to keep silent or they would face death ~ contrary to what anyone wants to believe, it's still being done in military forces all over the world, including the USA

[@lostalone9320]

It's important to remember that corporal punishment was just about universal across society at the time. Most people thought flogging was harsh but fair. And for lots of offences, like stealing from shipmates or doing shoddy work that can get someone else killed, the crew would take matters into their own hands if the officers didn't.

[@lachlank.8270]

a famous quotation of unknown origin, but Stalin seems so fitting

[@markpage9886]

Officer casualties is good for morale, George Patton.

[@shanewalters4632]

The guy showing Dan the 12-pounder. He was really dedicated to his subject and would've said a lot more if he could have. Probably years of studying this stuff. I love that there are pockets of people like this, even and especially today.

[@patricknakasone9376]

Regular filling meals was a big recruitment game incentive. One major thing of being in the navy vs army was that you where carrying your food with you.

[@20chocsaday]

So long as you had good enough teeth and strong jaws.

[@keithwesley2471]

In 1804 my 3 times G grandfather was listed as being 'prest' in the pay book of HMS Aimable. In fact he escaped slavery from St Kitts by volunteering when the ship visited the island. He served just short of 11 years in the navy.

[@jochenderuyck8238]

cool

[@petematcham7847]

Interesting. I would suggest that this was a deliberate move by the ships senior ncos if not the officers. As a volunteer he could probably have been reclaimed by his "ownee*. As a pressed man the "owner" could do nothing.

[@ignatzlittle8797]

This is so interesting! I really encourage you to write about this if you haven’t already done so. I’d love to know more!

[@hjr2000]

​@@ignatzlittle8797if it's true...

[@Shinkajo]

​@@petematcham7847i doubt slaves could be pressed. They cost a fair bit of money and the wealthy owners would raise a stink.

[@chrism7395]

There's an urban myth that the oldest surviving pub in Plymouth (Minerva Inn) had a tunnel from it to the Barbican that the press gangs would use to sneak into areas like the so-called 'Damnation Alley' (Castle Street) and grab men too drunk or...er...distracted to resist.

[@zittnanskyjuraj]

I was once in Portsmouth and saw a HMS Victory, that moment I fall in love with these ships!

[@pigdroppings]

After WW2 the Labour Party took two of the Napoleonic Wars ships of the line out into the Atlantic and sank them.

[@yournotgully]

@@pigdroppings to be fair, even keeping hms victory in good shape today is very difficult and expensive.

[@danielarmstrong4335]

Fantastic work Dan! Some of the finest British history content to be found anywhere.

[@TheRealLeeVanCleef]

Especially poignant during this particular history month of October 👍

[@cobbler40]

When I was in the RN in the sixties we understood that one of the Royal Marines roles was to protect the officers from the ratings. Also we were all subject to the articles of war which were draconian and they were not abolished till about the 90’s.

[@samuelschick8813]

"Royal Marines roles was to protect the officers from the ratings." Captain of my first ship was a real prick and knew the crew hated his ass. At sea he would stay in his cabin or the wardroom. If he left those it was only to go on the bridge or bridge wing where he stayed in sight of the ODD. He NEVER ventured out on the weather decks regardless of what was going on. In 1982 we had a Marine get his head blown off while anchored in a bay in the Philippines. Even then the CO kept his ass in his cabin or wardroom.

[@Cous1nJack]

Later than the 90s some numbers were removed but the forces discipline act doing away with the naval DA was it’s end.

[@oldsalt4798]

Currently reading Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies. This video really helps me visualize!!!

[@ianthomas739]

My, great, great, great grandfather served on the HMS Bellerophon in 1815 under a Captain Maitland who took on board and accepted the surrender from Napoleon Bonaparte. During Napoleons stay on the ship he was by this account viewed with affection by the crew

[@someoneelse.2252]

My great, great, great grandfather sailed on that ship too. Joe McGurkie, who actually got his autograph and also managed to get a selfie with him. Small world , huh....?.

[@bieituns]

Here is a quiz question for you. What is the symbol of the parachute regiment. And why?

[@harbourdogNL]

"...managed to get a selfie with him."😂

[@nez9751]

That gave me tingles. Respect to your GGF 🫡

[@terrymilner8575]

I remember it well, I was only 19 at the time

[@oogdiver]

Part of the problem with ship’s biscuits in the Royal Navy was that they were not kept in casks. The were stored in “bread sacks”. This made them even drier and encouraged infestation with insects. The US Navy stored theirs in casks. This kept them slightly more palatable and reduced insects.

[@rhyswilliams4893]

Extra protein I'm the insects;)

[@Charles-oo8bq]

You could place them into the armpits to reconstitute them. Weevils as well.

[@Brain_Juice]

The British were possibly more concerned with calorific value, than a dry biscuit and the odd insect would provide an added bonus due to it's protein content!

[@kincaidwolf5184]

There really wasn't a large US navy that went across the world in the late 18th and early 19th century.

[@jacobdill4499]

​​@@kincaidwolf5184It wasn't large but the us navy was going all the way across the pacific surprisingly early in its existence.

[@maineeveryday796]

Absolute respect for Dan climbing the Rigging

[@Screwball70]

I actually worked in a rope factory for two years, we were paid by the length of rope we produced, the machines varied in size, some had only three bobbins spinning through the die, others had twenty or more for huge rope for modern shipping, other rope was as thin as your finger, but they all worked on the same principle, twisting together, under a lot of strain, using a 'Z twist' dont ask i dont know why its called a Z twist, separate threads fed off separate bobbins of varying size through a die and pulled off onto a drum, depending on the thread size some jobs were doffed at say 50 yards onto a spinning head but no drum. Its not that exciting realy just very dirty, dusty, and in the shed i worked in if it rained you got wet because of the holes in the roof lol

[@pchurchill]

electrical cables (under-sea etc) made in much the same way.. (i worked at Pirrelli cables)

[@Screwball70]

@@pchurchill my dad worked there for years before he died, it was BICC when he started there, he went straight from the pit when they closed the hafod

[@Cous1nJack]

Z twist is right laid s is left laid. Z yarns, s strands and z rope.

[@Screwball70]

@@Cous1nJack cheers, it was never explained to me what it meant, job I done was all z twist

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Keeps you fit... did you use a bike to get around the shed?

[@scaryfakevirus]

My wife's family were related to Lord Collingwood. I have always been intrerest in Nelsion's navy and to have had that link it truly amazing.

[@MadTrapper1]

Master and Commander was a brilliant movie for the effects of cannon fire.

[@alexsaratovskikh6571]

Отличное кино и главное нет романтической линии, очень освежает.

[@johndyson4109]

My Brother Jeffery Allen Dyson was a 1st class boatswain's mate in the U.S. Navy for over 12 years.. He passed his tests to become a Chief Petty Officer but since he was color blind they would not give him the commendation of rank.. He was kinda upset about that.. He passed away at the age of 66 on 02/23/22.. I was so very proud of him, he learned how to sail on Lake Champlain on my Father's sailboat. My Father and Brother always loved the water..

[@kwd3109]

I find it interesting how many common expressions we use here in the States apparently originated in the Royal Navy. My father was in the Merchant Marine and would often tell us as kids to "Pipe Down" if we were making too much noise. In the US, we use the term "Slush Fund" to describe a secret money account kept by a dishonest politician. And of course "Learning the Ropes" is universally used to describe someone learning a new job.

[@daneelolivaw602]

@kwd3109 How about "Swinging the lead" For someone staying off work, or Square Meal, On the fiddle, Top man, Shake a leg, Long shot, Over a barrel, and there are so many more RN terms we use every day here in the UK, as well as the terms you mentioned, and yet very few people seem to know about where they came from. It is a real eye opener to read a list of old RN slang terms

[@Chadhogan111]

​@@daneelolivaw602 Clear the decks, cut of your jib, showing true colours. Crazy how many of those phrases became commonplace.

[@joelewis1776]

@@Chadhogan111also there’s “dead ahead”, “dead slow”, “full steam” are all ship speeds albeit from a bit later with the age of steam in the 19th c.

[@trevorclark945]

3 square meals a day, referring to the plates that were used were square, they even showed it this video,

[@terrymilner8575]

Also, "widen your bumhole"

[@daviddavid5880]

Ah, the romance of the Age of Sail... The violence, the ungodly stench, the beatings, the malnutrition, the lashings, the endemic wage theft, the more violence, the institutionalized kidnapping, the brutality, the system-wide corruption, the diseases, the stench, the brutal repression, the lice, the overcrowding, the "medical care", the even more violence, the stench...

[@volt8684]

It’s coming again

[@bimble7240]

What about the negatives?

[@dees3179]

I believe someone mentioned it was occasionally a bit whiffy……

[@Xirpzy]

I was on a one month trip on a similarly large ship and stench wasnt a primary concern. What you would smell was the sea and kitchen and thats about it. Reminder that its pretty much always windy and wet on deck. The 4 hour sleep and constant deck scrubbing and sanding was more annoying. Taking care of the sails was fun and not too difficult. The most taxing part by far was reeling in the anchor, which took several people in turns and felt like forever.

[@sanjivjhangiani3243]

It doesn't make sense to starve or malnourish your own men if you want them to fight, and the RN was careful not to. One reason they won the Napoleonic wars was the network of supply stations throughout the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, providing fresh vegetables, etc. Also, the sailors had lime juice each day to prevent scurvy.

[@gregedmand9939]

My biggest weakness, were I press-ganged into the sail navy: I'm not a fan of heights? 😱 And of course personal safety gear, like that worn here, was unheard of. Just the size of this brig's mast would give me the willies... But imagining being sent to trim the royals of a 2nd rate? That's the stuff of nightmares. Just stepping up to the edge of a building in an FPS video game gives my guts a swoop.

[@timothybmonahan]

It is really fascinating to learn about the warships and the men who sailed them in this format. Nicely done!

[@mmorgan197713]

Please don't stop making these documentaries Mr Snow I could listen to you all day describing things!

[@michaeljutton]

Always find this period interesting. Two of my ancestors served in the Royal navy at the Battle of Trafalgar. One was a ships master and the other a gunner.

[@markbrennan4693]

Great insight Dan. Makes you appreciate the lives we lead today. The navy knew what worked to make us the most efficient fighting force in the world. Brilliant viewing. Love these.

[@HannibalFan52]

There are several phrases from the use of flintlock weapons that we still use today. If you fire your weapon, but the spark doesn't travel down to the main charge in the barrel you have a 'flash in the pan'. As a safety measure, a firearm was not supposed to be able to fire unless it was at full cock. However, sometimes the mechanism was so worn that it would 'go off half-cocked'.

[@efangrim8470]

Not even Nelson could survive in Nelsons navy.

[@KennethMachnica-vj3hf]

That's a good one ! You're right. He wouldn't have been able to cut the mustard.

[@alexgwynn560]

Nope he died

[@vindobonaification]

That's a true fact.

[@KennethMachnica-vj3hf]

@@alexgwynn560 He lost an eye, before that. I think an arm, too.

[@BlyatimirPootin]

Lol

[@cuebj]

In some ways, they survived better in Navy than outside Navy. Relatively good regular food, plenty of exercise, healthy and away from all the infectious diseases on land. And, eg at Trafalgar, the British suffered very few casualties except in a couple of ships. British casualties included the prize crews of damaged enemy ships that were wrecked by the storm immediately after the battle. The French-Spanish fleet suffered tens of thousands of casualties. Even battle injuries were relatively survivable compared to the army as the treatment was so close to the moment of injury

[@PokhrajRoy.]

One of the many in-depth history lessons we like to attend here 👏🏽

[@janwojtyna3392]

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.

[@Alsemenor]

I'd argue boarding was primarily done in order to capture ships. Why sink a perfectly good (and expensive) ship when you could capture it, put it to use on your own side and gain prize money for crew and captain in the process?

[@william3750]

As a rope geek myself, I appreciate the correct use of the terminology! Wonderful, all the small details is what makes this an excellent show

[@Skaitania]

How brutal or fair the service was to the sailors depended mostly on the quality of officers and commanders. Yes, there are inherent dangers to the life and war at sea, and it would definitely never have been a pleasurable experience...but as most service is, even today, its the comradship or lack thereof that makes it either a living hell or something you'll tell fondly about later. Great documentary, thank you.

[@morningstar9233]

Heard Dan had a hard time finding a Napoleonic era type ship due to a great many of them being employed in the making of Ridley Scott's soon to be released "Napoleon". So well done getting one!

[@antonleimbach648]

I spent 6 years in the USN and I’m glad to say the tradition of sneaking alcohol aboard ship has not gone by the wayside. We preferred Bacardi 151.

[@pridedyanky]

Been on the HMS Victory a few years ago, what a ship that is. Dont really understand its size till you go aboard. As well as HMS Warrior.

[@aaronchristian4895]

Thanks

[@PillSharks]

Pill, Somerset made some of the finest sailors because it was the home of the Bristol pilots for 500 plus years! The press gangs visited Pill many times and would hold meetings across the river in the Lamplights pub. A Pill lady called Nancy Carey worked in there and would keep a close ear to the door to find out when the next raid would be so she could warn Pill that a raid was imminent. There’s is an account of the Press gangs arriving in Pill to press some men and the villagers put up a fight and after a battle in Pump square the Pill boys sent them running… the gutters were running with blood apparently! Lol Pill was always known for it’s tight knit community and didn’t like outsiders sticking their nose in! ⚓️🦈

[@SusCalvin]

There would be riots on and off during this system, on the mere rumour of an empressment gang.

[@ScottHendrix-k8f]

Thanks!

[@stevetubbin5154]

Well done Dan, a magnificent portrayal...

[@KimberlyPatton-x1n]

Thank you for this sad but touching video.Such beauty,such love and promise in a young family...hope they are all happily together forever now.

[@Charliecomet82]

I remember reading that before the War of 1812, when the Royal Navy stopped American ships, the Yanks were so impressed by the Brits, they joined up on the spot!

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

That's a load of nonsense.

[@kincaidwolf5184]

​@@ashleighelizabeth5916god, get a sense of humour lmao

[@kenneth9874]

Yeah, that's why they were forced to stop......

[@JoeHenry-gc1vs]

I strive to one day visit Britain and walk the decks of HMS Victory ! I'm hooked on these wonderful " History of the Age of Sail "

[@tomodonoghue_]

Watching this to help put the Aubrey Maturin series in context. Very very helpful. Thanks for another great video.

[@chasey2327]

its a real eye opener knowing how many of the sayings we still use derive from naval history...'on the fiddle' was the practice of illicitly adding extra food up to the rim, or fiddle, of the plate. food being literally 'on the fiddle' 😊

[@TOFKAS01]

Rich man`s war, poor man`s fight. The Royal Navy was the very model of that phrase...

[@AtlasNL]

Eh, unlike the army poor men would rather frequently rise up the ranks and become officers themselves. No purchasing system in the navy.

[@TOFKAS01]

@@AtlasNL Not many poor men. A poor man began as an ordinary sailor and died as an ordinary sailor. But well, Empires are build on the bones of the poor. And the british Empire was build on a lot of bones.

[@ianu98]

i went to that dockyard as a kid and it was such a great experience

[@cleverusername9369]

One thing that drives me crazy about many Age of Sail battle scenes is how little the ship's guns recoil, if at all. In reality they'd have a hell of a kick, whereas in most movies and shows they might just slowly and gentle move back a few inches. Loved watching that 12 lbr kick like a mule, and I'm sure they weren't even using a full charge

[@amh9494]

Apart from master and commander of course but that is the creme of authentic. 🤌

[@djowen5192]

If you watch one of these being fired with a full charge and a ball the recoil is so savage the truck actually leaves the ground. The concussion is so great it literally knocks the wind out of you, and that was standing 20 meters away. No wonder so many ratings were deaf.

[@amh9494]

@@djowen5192 apparently the bucking got worse the hotter they got ha ha

[@johnnunn8688]

What, that 12pdr hardly moved.

[@amh9494]

@@johnnunn8688 no shot in it

[@RafterPigeon]

This was top notch. Dan Show has a dream job.

[@parkerbrown-nesbit1747]

Loved the Ropewalk! Wish you had talked more about sailmaking -- how they were woven, especially, as well as coopering.

[@DiddlyPenguin]

I have walked that rope walk on the outside. It takes quite a while to walk from one end to the other

[@ThePerks2010]

"How Britain was built" presented by Guy Martin (it's on KZbin) has an episode all about Victorian fishing boats and he goes to that rope place and actually makes some. Highly recommend it, it's fun.

[@chrisallen9706]

The deck of the rope walk may have FELT very flat, BUT, a modern surveyor would probably tell you it follows the curvature of the earth.

[@dionb5276]

There was a bit of hyperbole in the bit about the ropewalk. It was far from unprecedented in scale - the Royal Navy wrested control of the seas from the Dutch in the early 18th Century and every major Dutch seafaring city had for centuries prior had one or more 'lijnbaan', which translates literally to ropewalk. They could be up to 300m long as well, indeed 17th Century Amsterdam had three in a row totaling almost a kilometer in length. The main innovation at Chatham was to make it an indoor activity, allowing work to go on in bad weather, vastly increasing reliability and efficiency of the process.

[@parkerbrown-nesbit1747]

@@dionb5276 for some reason I was thinking that all ropewalks would have been covered. Thanks for the info!

[@zopEnglandzip]

My brother tied me to a chair in that place, i went along with it because i was 8, didn't realize he was just going to leave me there in the middle of a museum. Nice museum, good architecture and the other old port infrastructure like steam cranes and Warehouses are glorious.

[@lynnedelacy2841]

What got me was the lack of headroom on the Victory - and Hardy as in Kiss me Hardy was 6’4” - he must have had a permanent stoop

[@robertewing3114]

My fate, Hardy. Kis-met, Hardy. Either way, the captain kissed him.

[@laurenholland3253]

This is seriously my favorite video you guys have ever put out! What a wealth of fascinating information. Thank you!

[@Nantosuelta]

Perfect video to watch as im slightly over half way through the Aubrey-Maturin series

[@phillipsmith4501]

This also happend in early Australia thier are still tunnels under the street still where press gangs would forcably drag new sailers to circular quay

[@EsmereldaWeatherwax-f1s]

My cousin Henry Cranwell died on The Victory 3 days after Trafalgar. He was described as a "landsman". He had been pressganged 2 years previously.

[@sprintman62]

....your 'cousin'?😮

[@kevinherlihy9471]

Yeah, how old are you?

[@sprintman62]

@kevinherlihy9471 230 years old... about the same as you to have a cousin on board during Trafalgar 😅

[@garryf1134]

If you get the chance the Chatham dockyard museum is well worth a visit. I still have the rope made by my grandson and other children during a rope making demo

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

Heaven knows how Captain Hardy did. Six feet four inches tall, aboard a ship where deck space was five feet nine inches.

[@johndaarteest]

The lower decks are much less than that, I had to duck to move through them and I'm a short arse!

[@geoffreydowen5793]

this was excellent, brought alive through the dedication and passion of rhe military experts herein. I served 11years and so grateful it was recently the poor guys on these "men o war" were giants of men great show all thank you respect from a navy veteran in Suffolk, England. yours aye!

[@davehooper5115]

history is so fascinating

[@barbarapenfold2097]

I just love the eleven Hornblower books.

[@ThePerks2010]

Imagine being the bricky turning up at that rope place first day of construction, "you want it how long?!?" 😂😂😂

[@howwwwwyyyyy]

A good book is"The last grain race" Eric Newby,16 yes old, told to climb up the top of a 210ft steel mast,then told to sit on the top.

[@williamrobinson7435]

Really interesting and enjoyable! For those who are keen on the Napoleonic wars at sea, I'd strongly recommend the novels of Patrick O'brien (think 'Master & Commander').. Fiction, but informed by real research, these books are BRILLIANT. Nice one Dan and team! ⭐👍

[@parkerbrown-nesbit1747]

I'd also recommend the Bolitho novels by Alexander Kent.

[@chrisk475]

O'Brian quite simply a genius.

[@Nantosuelta]

I'm on book 16. One of the best fiction series of all time

[@andrewgilbertson5356]

They are great.

[@TrefyJot]

​@parkerbrown-nesbit1747 Totally. Kent completely sucked me in to the world of Richard Bolitho and the way of His Britannic Majesty's Navy in that era.

[@captainloaf4767]

May of been a tough hard life but it made them the best sailors the world had ever seen there discipline and seaman ship are one of the greatest examples of any military arm the world has ever seen many a time the navy were outnumbered and out gunned but there skill won the day.

[@donaldgoodinson7550]

If Nelson himself didn't survive how do you expect me to?

[@MrRnipperBrockleBroadcasting]

But people did - two of my ancestors were at Trafalgar one of them transferred with Captain Hardy from his previous command and was possibly the seaman who subsequently called him to Nelson’s deathbed. He eventually received a navy pension.

[@loyalpiper]

You aren't wearing medals and standing out as an officer are you?

[@djowen5192]

On Victory there's a big brass plaque with 'Nelson fell here ', which is understandable as I damn near tripped over it myself.

[@donaldgoodinson7550]

LOL.@@djowen5192

[@GreybeardWanders]

@@djowen5192 Possibly the funniest thing I've ever read in youtube comments! I'm too old for lolz and emojis but I almost choked on my grog!

[@EA_Kar]

These pieces are so much fun to watch~Thanks Dan & HHit

[@markchip1]

I was very surprised you didn't point out the age-old connection between the English and their nickname of "limeys", precisely because of all those limes consumed by sailors of the Royal Navy!

[@adamdavis4346]

Fun fact, limes go bad quickly so the navy used sauerkraut as it’s pickled, so it lasts indefinitely and is packed with vitamin C!

[@External2737]

​@@adamdavis4346Except you could juice the limes and use alcohol to pickle it. Grog.

[@howwwwwyyyyy]

A program about the Spithead mutiny would be really appreciated

[@rachelgates509]

Two Jane Austen’s of brothers were pretty high up in the navy. One was an admiral.

[@willamos6926]

In the Georgian Navy, a "ship" was a three-masted, square-rigged vessel. The Phoenix is not a "ship" but a "brig," or more precisely a "brig-sloop." Sloop was a catch-all term for a Royal Navy vessel that was too small to be commanded by an officer holding the substantive rank of captain. Two masted sloops were "brig-sloops", shortened to just "brig," and three masted sloops were "ship-sloops," usually shortened to just "sloop." Hornblower readers will be familiar with the Hotspur, which was a ship-sloop, and Aubrey readers will know his first command Sophie, which was a brig-sloop. These are the two most common types of sloops, but there is a deep rabbit hole of terms for ships with various rigs that you can dive down, if you want.

[@noreply-7069]

They had to replace lemons with lime when Napoleon invaded Spain as they couldn't get the lemons from Spain anymore so they had to utilize Caribbean colonies to get limes.

[@2ndBirth]

I'd never thought of where that saying came from before "learning the ropes".

[@AlexanderEBott]

Many common phrases are from marine life, make ends meet, toe the line, loose cannon, bitter end, I was surprised after someone somewhere pointed that out...

[@looseunit1615]

These sailors were tough as nails. I loved this video. I once owned a book called fighting sail. Beautiful binding and illustrations showing life on these sailing ships. This book inspired me to apply to join the navy. But, in 1976 life on board a warship wasn't as rugged.

[@remaguire]

Rugged enough. Being stationed on a Navy ship can be very challenging.

[@onastick2411]

Ships of wood, men of steel.

[@LornaBall]

A fascinating insight 💚🥰🧐

[@Trebor74]

Press gangs was just conscription for the georgian age. According to lord cochrane in his memoirs, press gangs weren't really needed on successful ships with a famous captain. The prize money would get plenty of volunteers.

[@sanjivjhangiani3243]

That is a good point. Most countries had conscription into the late 20th century.

[@LMO-f8p]

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

[@Improveng1]

Great video Dan,. Thank you sir and huge respect for climbing the mast. Brilliant documentary. 😄😄😄👍👍👍

[@M5b73]

Brilliant in depth documentary, thoroughly enjoyed...

[@MegaDeansy]

As a child, I won a book-token at school and bought a book about Nelson, I still have it and re--read it every now and again !. The thing that stands out, for me,is the full explanation of whar 'Keel-hauling' meant - imho NO-ONE from this day and age would survive in Nelson's navy, it was just too savage !

[@vinniebate2981]

What a great insight in British naval history! RULE BRITTANIA!

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Nice introduction and informative video about Britain 🇬🇧 sea fleets during the 17th century ... where toughest sailors survived...

[@bimble7240]

They were all tough, the luckiest survived.

[@johnjolo1983]

​@@bimble7240I don't know if they were all tough since many of them were forced to serve

[@richardsweeney197]

Let's not forget, between the American Revolution and the War of 1812, the Royal Navy stopped American Ships and sized Sailors and impressed them into the Royal Navy.

[@andrewgilbertson5356]

At my age 67 no chance. However, if one was used to the life of 1800 then yes. The navy on a “ happy “ ship gave the ordinary bloke a good life with the chance of prize money. Much better than the army or being a causal farm labourer . True there was danger , hardship and violence .

[@celticman1909]

No mention of the extreme punishment known as "Keel hauling,"or the practice of ordering the crew to change into clean underwear when battle was imminent. They had noticed that nasty infections caused by fecal matter getting into splinter wounds could be thus be avoided. Never knew the recipe for grog.🙂

[@johnavery3941]

Great Video Dan but you would not have seen me up there in a million years....

[@andrewtorrance7284]

This is an excellent presentation.

[@madzangels]

Dans one of those guys you ever saw in a pub your buying him a drink as a thanks for all his great teachings

[@snappers_antique_firearms]

Loved the flintlock pistol part. I own an original British sea service pistol just like the one in this video. It was a battlefield pickup from the battle of New orleans during the war of 1812.

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

My best friend joined the Duyfken (Little Dove) crew in Sydney as she sailed up the east coast of Australia. It’s a replica of the original Dutch sailing vessel. 80 feet, 3 masts. A beautiful looking and fast sailing vessel. Amazing replica, just stunning.

[@johnlawrence2757]

Being a Midshipman was even worse: you were a future officer (if you survived) recruited from middle or upper class families at the age of 13 and your duties included the most hazardous of any - such as climbing the mainmast and standing to attention on the top.

[@catherinelw9365]

No, I would not have survived in the RN, but I doubt I would have survived in that era, period. I am too attached to my creature comforts. Geneology and DNA research led me to a 10th or 11th (?) great grandfather who served as a captain in Sir Francis Drake's fleet when he went to the West Indies and fought the Spanish Armada. His ship (Bark Talbot) was used as a fire ship. I read letters he wrote to Lord Walsingham, begging to be reimbursed for losing his ship. Apparently he suffered bouts of malaria for a few years, then died. He did get reimbursed, however.

[@antonglas7488]

I`ve seen Nelson`s uniform in the Imperial War museum and it would fit a 14 years old today. People at those times were more smaller than they are today.