Age of Sail: Identifying Skills for a Midshipman

[hal]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

One contemporary commentator even regarded it as good training for land combat because it taught you to judge terrain and look after your horse. Which is all very well for a Hussar at least though it might not do for an infantry officer.

If it is a contemporary, then its fair game. ;)

Thing is, I'm betting each captain had his own "customs" he enforced on his quarterdeck, meaning that each ship's routine would have had certain similarities but have a few quirks involved.

Some of the captains (for the 74's) had to run their own schooling for their midshipmen due to the lack of education involved. Other's had a thing for nobility (perhaps due to the better educational opportunities?) that was in some parts, simply a sign of their times where the nobility were expected to be a better class of man.

In all, I'm betting too, that there would have been certain "standards" observed (perhaps as a part of the professional skill?) of what makes a proper gentleman in the eyes of the Navy. Between music, poetry, literature - one might also find a smattering of what constitutes gossip about the goings on of various famous or infamous people. Knowledge of popular plays as well as memorable symphonies would also come into play here or there.

As a convention in my own GURPS TRAVELLER games, I've also had a skill that I call "Area Knowledge: Ship" which also constitutes area knowledge for the class of ship as well. Knowing where the nooks and crannies are of a ship would have become something embedded within the brains of those who served about said ships. Learning the ropes, while a skill to be sure, wasn't just about learning what ropes did what per se, but also how a given vessel behaved while under the command of those charged to sail her.

So, riding a horse? Probably. Climbing as a skill quite possibly. Acrobatics as the midshipmen might compete to show who was more fearless than the others in their Larking? Probably. Knowing what foods and wines are better than others? Ok. Learning to make a guinea stretch further - for some to be sure. Housekeeping or sewing? I'll have to suspect that this has to be true.

But what of the midshipmen who had to lead "missions" such as getting water to restore the ship's stores? What of land engagements in which the sailors were sent ashore to fight as a unit? Gunnery skills - if not through osmosis, then from actual training? I suspect that SOME might, while others might not. It also seems to be hinted that brawling amongst themselves might have been a *cough* popular failing.

In some instances, the skills (if they can be called that) that one picks up from one's landlubber days might also be as varied as the individuals based on their family's life.

Ultimately however, there has to be a core of skills that all of the midshipmen were tasked to pick up else they should lose their ability to advance within the King's navy. Somewhere along the way I probably should amend the first or second post in this thread to list those skills that are deemed to be core, and those deemed to be optional.

So, a survey of sorts... All who have chimed in thus far, please weigh in on what you feel should be core skills, and what you feel MIGHT be optional skills and possible amongst the midshipmen. It would be nice to have either a post that lists all of these, or perhaps go to earlier posts and modify them with the general consensus of the skills for any who might do a search under Age of Sail...

:)

[jason taylor]

Well I specified land combat. Obviously no one then or now thought riding much use at see.

But in any case you should separate the skills you want them to have on enlistment and the ones they pick up. After enough time they should have enough skills to be a fair naval officer. In the beginning a typical collection for a low nobility or high bourgeois family background will be satisfactory.

[hal]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Well I specified land combat. Obviously no one then or now thought riding much use at see.

But in any case you should separate the skills you want them to have on enlistment and the ones they pick up. After enough time they should have enough skills to be a fair naval officer. In the beginning a typical collection for a low nobility or high bourgeois family background will be satisfactory.

So list what you think comes under the list of low nobility or high bourgeois background skills. ;)

As we get a list going, we can put it in a summary in the first or second post.

[hal]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

It doesn't look like you could retrofit gunlocks to older cannons at all, though I don't know why that it is.

I wouldn't worry about the cost of the gunlocks, which are probably +$250 on a cannon that costs $40K or more (Low-Tech p 89).

In looking for the one book where I have prices on a ship's armaments, I got one reference that lists the armaments for Frigate the HMS DIANA (38). Armed with 28 18 lbrs and 8 standard 9 lbrs with an additional 2 bow chasers (also 9 lbrs but with an extra 6" barrel length to gain additional range). All f this was priced at approximately 1,100 £.

That's approximately 28.94 £ per gun on average.


The book by the way is:

Anatomy of the ship: The Frigate Diana by David White. It also gives a list of various measurements such as masts and the like. If anyone wants that information further down the road, feel free to email me for the specifics...

:)

Hal

[johndallman]

A midshipman needs the skills of an able seaman before he'll be put forward for examination, so it's worth identifying those, along with the abilities he's expected to have before he goes to sea. As well as the absolutely necessary skills, there are a lot of skills that will often be useful; a midshipman might well have a Dabbler perk or two in some of them.

Required starting abilities
English at Accented or better
Literacy

Able Seaman skills
Boating (Sailboat)
Boating (Unpowered)
Climbing
Guns (Musket)
Gunner (Cannon)
Housekeeping*
Knot-Tying (possibly the default from Seamanship)
Savoir-Faire (Naval)
Seamanship
Shortsword or Spear
Weather Sense

*The Royal Navy keeps its ships ferociously clean, as a means of preventing disease.

Officer skills
Administration
Diplomacy
Leadership
Navigation (Sea)
Shiphandling
Sword skill of officer's choice
Tactics (Naval)
Tactics (Small unit)

Useful additional skills for seamen
Area Knowledge
Carousing
Carpentry
Games
Intimidation
Sewing
Singing
Survival (Island/Beach)
Swimming

Useful additional skills for officers
Astronomy
Current Affairs
Engineer (Vehicles)
Freight Handling
Guns (Pistol)
Law
Mathematics (Applied)
Musical Instrument
Politics
Public Speaking
Riding (Equines)
Savoir-Faire (High Society)
Strategy (Naval)

Advantages or perks:
Surefooted (Naval) (perk)
Language (Latin)
Language (French)
Language (Spanish)

[hal]

Nicely done Johndallman - nicely done. Wish I'd thought to do it that way.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by hal

So list what you think comes under the list of low nobility or high bourgeois background skills. ;)

As we get a list going, we can put it in a summary in the first or second post.

For gentry

Savoire-faire
Fencing
Firearms(pistol)
Riding
Survival(semi-cultivated forest)
Area Knowledge(local manor)
Carrousing
Leadership
Gourmet
Any type of Noble entertainment to taste. They will be useless on shipboard, though hunting as demonstrated is useful for a cavalry officer. But they will get reasonably fit physically from some of them. If their btackground is the sort that makes them into useless brats, they will have to be shaped up quite a bit, a la "Captain's Courageous".
Cultural familiarity: Gentry and nobility, local peasantry(The first reflects cosmopolitan knowledge of the upper class, the second knowledge of his neighborhood).
Optional: Classics
He probably should know how to read, write and cipher. However equally his background is makes it less necessary then for a townie.
Area Knowledge(Italy, Dabbler): This is perk level to represent having gone on a Grand Tour
Languages:(French).

The picture is more "jocky" then "geeky". A fairly good scholarly background is reasonable but not essential.


For a "New Rich" second generation with a shipping daddy who can afford to get a position:

Reading
Writing
Bookkeeping

Literacy is a survival skill to a merchant not a luxury and is also widely bred into the Dissenter parts of the country from religious traditon. Someone from the southern ports, and perhaps the old Danelaw(those were two of the sources of naval seamen) would be near enough to this to be "plugged in". Gentry are likely to be literate and perhaps highly literate but it is less of an obvious emphasis.

Sailor(merchant apprentice, optional); reflecting any familiarity he might have with the job from before such as taking a ride-along on a family ship. Probably no more then dabbler unless the father took time to seriously train him.

Street Smart
Merchant
Area Knowledge(London or other city)
Carrousing
Savoire-Faire(clubbing).
Cultural Familiarity: Waterfront Aristocracy(Captains, Builders, big Chandlers, owners, import-exporters, etc; not hereditary but certainly oligarchical).

Savoire-faire is separate from Carrousing, as it is not just about how to party but about what is polite at a given hangout according to whatever hangouts he knows. For a good overview, skim Timbs' Club Life of London.

These are just some ideas. They need a bit of refinement. As you can see the first backstory has more general "toughness" justified whereas the second has more familiarity with the nautical world.

[dcarson]

The Latin and Greek is probably higher Written then Spoken since lots of the classic education consisted of "translate this chunk of Caesar's Commentaries" and such.

[jason taylor]

Swimming isn't needed, in fact sailors seldom learned it then for it was hubristically offending the sea and You Don't Want To Do That(Jack Tar had quite a bit of residual animism). On the other hand upper classes came from a different background. Furthermore, every once in a while you read stories of someone swimming over at night to jigger the other sides rudder so at least someone knew how to swim.

[jason taylor]

You know, given that alternative of background, you could do something with the character interaction between a Middie with a Samuel Johnson-ish City Mouse background, and one with a Jane Austen-ish Country Mouse background.