How did press gangs work?

[kenjib]

I've seen mention of press gangs often in relation to ship crews. What exactly were they and how did they work? Did they just yank random people off of the street and load them onto the ship where they were made to work...or else (which brings up the question - or else what)?

If they were made to work by force, how were they kept in order? Also, what percentage of the crew would they compromise and what types of roles?

Many thanks to anyone that knows something about this.

 

[Voadam]

"A toast to what made the great british navy? Rum, Buggery and the Lash! There's your toast to what made the navy." -Winston Churchill

The Horatio Hornblower series of naval adventures has some discussion of press ganging and discipline aboard english military ships at the time of the napoleonic wars.

 

[madriel]

The Hornblower novels were written by C.S. Forester.

From what I remember about British press gangs, the ship's captain would send out some of the regular crew (IIRC Marines) to round up able-bodied men. The press gangs would try to kidnap as many sailor types as possible.

The officers would sort through what the press gang brought back and assign the guys who knew what they were doing to the skilled jobs. Any unfortunate landlubbers would get menial jobs like scrubbing the decks and be taught the real jobs with on the job training.

Voadam was right, crew members were whipped if they disobeyed orders. Since even the pressed crew members were now under the authority of the British Navy, they could be executed for mutiny.

Of course, any "gentlemen" grabbed by the press gang could buy their way off the ship. For a suitable ah, donation to the war effort.

Can't you tell I was a History major?

 

[Voadam]

Madriel,

I didn't mean to imply that Churchill wrote the Hornblower novels.

I may have gotten the first and last sentences of his quote a bit off but I was going from memory. He was asked by an admiral, I think, at a governmental function to toast the values that made the British navy a world power. Check out a book of toasts for confirmation of the quote (or urban legend ).

Churchill also gave the best graduation speech ever.

"Never give up.

"Never give up.

"Never give up."

Then he turned away from the podium and walked away.

Oh yeah,

The novels also had them scouring the prisons for volunteer sailors which is a great adventure hook. When they were short of men they would also haul over merchant vessels and get some men to be transferred as well, although this was considered more dodgy.

Discipline was enforced often in the books by canes, lashings with lengths of rope, and flogging. It would really suck to be pressed into the navy and have no clue what you were doing then lashed every time you screwed up.

 

[Chimera]

Yes, they simply grab you off the street. Or out of jail (as noted above), or out of a tavern, if enough of them. Congratulations, you've been conscripted. You have just won an all expense paid trip to hard labor and scurvy.

Or what? Gee, when the bosses have weapons, whips and a boatload of cruel intentions, while YOU, on the other hand, cannot swim and are on a ship at sea, that question is kind of silly. You do as you are told or you suffer, or die.

Any questions and we'll cut out your tongue.

Press gangs are a much riskier in a D&D setting, where that plainly dressed man may turn out to be a powerful Sorcerer.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Term Shanghied (spelling) comes to mind. It was the drafting of able bodied men to serve on ships. The English was famous for it but they were not the only ones to do it. San Fransico was a port known for it.

Sailing was a hard life, it has been stated (history) that a person would need 6000 cals a day to remain healthy.

 

[madriel]

And I didn't mean to imply that you meant to imply that Churchill wrote them, Voadam. That was just a little FYI to make it easier for people to look them up.

War time press gangs could get very aggressive in grabbing enough warm bodies. Like Voadam said, they'd grab men from the merchant ships if they needed more men. They'd steal from each other's crews and even kidnap fishermen off their own boats.

 

[Kichwas]

San Francisco?

Do you have a source for that? I don't recall that in any of my history training. It's possible but seems unlikely.

I'd think San Francisco a little late in navel history for that one, since it didn't become more than a small trading post with only a few hundred people until the 1850s.

 

[Gizzard]

>Congratulations, you've been conscripted. You have just
>won an all expense paid trip to hard labor and scurvy.

Although its not a popular way to staff the Navy anymore, you can still see this sort of stuff. Soldiers of local warlord approach you and tell you that you are in the army now. They have AK-47s, and you maybe have a knife. It seems wise to join the militia. Besides, you'll get fed, maybe you'll get some boots and your own AK-47 in a couple of months.

Wherever the law is made by the people with the guns, this sort of "conscription" makes sense.

 

[Wolfspirit]

Hey, sort of on the same topic, how did army conscriptions work? Did they just go into village and say that all the able bodied me were comming with them or killed, or what?