1.
‘Interest’ and Ability:
The Route to Post Captain
Through
documentary evidence, this chapter reviews how the
cohort entered the
navy and
then rose through the ranks.
The
subheadings for this chapter include: ‘Young gentlemen
who walk the
quarterdeck’; The ‘passing certificate’ for
lieutenant; Commissioned
status;
The pattern of first commissions issued during the
inter-war years; The
influences and ‘interest’ behind promotion; Promotion
to independence
as master
and commander; The scope of convoy duty in providing
opportunities to
prove
professional expertise at the outset of a naval
career; and Promotion
to post
captain.
2. The Tools of the Trade:
A
Captain’s Duties Regarding His Ship’s Fabric and
Equipment, and Her
Influence
on His Career
3. “The People”: Manning
the
Navy during the War
These
two chapters focus on the practicalities of commanding
a ship and the
challenges the captains faced.
The
subheadings for Chapter 2 are: Assuming his duties;
Duties of a captain
as
regards the fighting qualities of his ship; Duties of
a captain as
regards the
ordnance of his ship; Navigation; Ship design:
building and French
captures; and
An example of the way in which a captain’s career was
shaped by his
ships.
Chapter
3 looks at Warrant officers; The recruitment of seamen
to the navy;
Pay; The
retention of ‘followings’ and of crew members; Health;
Discharge,
desertion and
death; and Discipline and courts martial.
4. Expertise and Courage:
Opportunities for Individuals
This
chapter looks at how the war provided the cohort with
opportunities to
excel
both professionally and financially, while at the same
time determining
what
some did better than others.
Within
these pages, the reader learns about Gathering
intelligence; The
protection of
trade; Prize money and the rewards of endeavour;
Amphibious operations
on
French coasts and the rest of the world; Naval
blockade of the French
Atlantic
ports; Naval blockade of the Mediterranean; The West
Indian campaign
1759-1760;
1761 onwards – the extension of hostilities to Spain;
and ‘Those in
peril on
the sea’.
5. Management: The
Admiralty
and Its Captains
Here
the
author demonstrates how the Admiralty imposed its
authority on the
cohort.
Subheadings
include The system of communication between the
administration and
officers;
The individual voices that can be heard; The degree to
which naval
captains
were controlled by the Admiralty; Payments to officers
delayed by
deviations
from precedent; Requirement to chart unfamiliar
waters; The
significance of
half pay for commissioned officers; Compensation for
death or wounds;
The
application for and granting of leave to captains; and
Corruption.
6. Success or Failure: The
Parameters
This
chapter discusses the captains’ careers after the war
and why so few
remained
employed.
The
subheadings here are Pre-requisites for a long active
career;
Employment during
the peace; Promotion to flag rank; and Financial
rewards.
Pirates
and Privateers
