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

In the early 19th Century, Britain's Royal Navy was the most technologically advanced and supremely efficient force in the history of naval warfare.

But what was it like to live and work on board these ships? What did the men eat? How did the ships sail? What were the weapons they used?

In this documentary, Dan Snow explores what life would have been like for those whose served in the Nelson's Navy.

And remember, as YouTube subscribers, you can sign up to History Hit TV today with code YOUTUBE and enjoy 50% off your first 3 months!

#historyhit #royalnavy #dansnow

00:00 Introduction
00:56 Press Gangs
03:13 Chatham Historic Dockyard
05:52 Chatham Ropery
09:16 Royal Navy Recruitment
12:30 Jobs Aboard Ship
15:40 Food in the Royal Navy
20:29 Crime and Punishment
22:21 Fighting and Battles
25:27 Firing Sea Service Pistol
26:24 Royal Navy Cutlass
28:12 Climbing the Rigging
33:36 Downtime
34:52 Cannon Firing
43:10 Life and Death in Nelson's 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.

[Tadicuslegion]

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

[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.

[davejones]

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

[royalhero]

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

[alexanderbrougham]

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.

[stephanl]

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.

[danielarmstrong]

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

[daviddavid]

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...

[keithwesley]

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.

[lextalionis]

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.

[chrism]

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.

[oldsalt]

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

[mmorgan]

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

[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.

[ChrisB-un]

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.

[markbrennan]

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.

[PokhrajRoy.]

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

[fidgets]

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.

[ianthomas]

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