SOUNDINGS
Issue One, Winter 2005
A Quarterly Publication for the
Naval reenactment community by
the members of the
Royal Navy & Marines Living History - 1775 to 1814
I
IN THIS ISSUE:
•Stan Rogers song
“Barrett’s Privateers”
• An Indianman by God!
• In pursuit of a Gig
• 2005 Events (by conflict)
• A Cap theory...
What does membership mean:
• Communication with fellow Naval
Living Historians
• Lead from where you are
If your looking to be a NCO or Captain signup and talk the plunge
• Equiptment-on-loan
If its an 18th century monkey jacket, a pair of
slops and belly box, we have it and
We can loan it.
would like to extend the best wished to the members
of the Ships’ Company as well as the members of our
fellow shipmates associated with other vessels and organizations. This has been an active year and there has
been a great deal of effort to participate in local events
both on the east coast as well as the great lakes.
Below is the State of the Frigate Richmond.
Even with an increase in activity, we have experienced
little growth in our membership. Joseph Perelli our
ships’ purser, has resigned his commission and currently Captain Fisher has transferred all ships’ Funds to
SkyBank based in Toledo, Ohio. The current balance
of our funds is $270.00. As of the 23rd of December I
have received no dues from any members for 2005.
As we enter the 2005 year, I need to remind members
of the fact that individual dues have been reduced to
$15.00. Lt. Kominz and myself have been the only
members to have pledged dues, for next year.
Obviously each member has to look into what they
believe to be the benefit of membership. Its my hope
to keep every past member informed as to what we are
doing with email. If I do not receive dues from you
for by March 2005, you cannot participate as a
member of the Richmond in any of the scheduled anniversary events.
• Sail opportunities
Whenever possible, its our goal to experience
gig boat duty or possibly fire a ships’ cannon.
Many of you have issues with the Naval and Marine
Living History Association. It still remains the best
alternative to direct purchase of insurance at reenactments.
• Best Hobby Insurance available
http://www.navyandmarine.org/insurance/
As a member of the NMLHA, you have door-todoor insurance. Those paying Family membership
enjoy coverage for all family members
participating.
Please take the opportunity to pay and join after the
1rst of the year. This is YOUR organization and I
think we have great potential. The British Brigade
commanders are impressed with our organization and
are looking for us to take the lead in future anniversary
tacticals.
If you are not interested in participating as a dues
paying member of the Richmond, you have the option
of joining the Naval and Marine Living History
Association as an Individual (part of their “Reserve
Fleet”) with and annual fee of $20.00. You can view
the particulars of this offer by going to...
http://www.navyandmarine.org/Unit000FleetReserve/
index.html
I want to finish by saying that I have never served with a
finer group of swabs and lobsters and I hope that we can
build more interest as we move forward. We need recuits
and its your duty to take the lead. Press gangs, subscriptions and “damn lies” are not out of the question when
recruiting.
Wishing all members an excellent
and prosperous new year!
Your obedient servant,
Capt. Craig Fisher
Frigate Richmond.
“Monday the 18th of March 1799 At 8 A M. gave Chace to a Strange Sail.
at 2 P M came up with the Chace, she proved to be a Sweedish Schooner
from Cyane to St. Batholomew, laden with Cotton, Drugs & live Turtles.
She had four french Passengers aboard, and a small part of the Cargo, no
doubt was french property, but the trouble of taking her in, Condemnation,
Admiralty & Expences, would a made it a poor Prize, so the Captains
thought it best to let her go on, on her voyage.” (p. 256)
Aaron Thomas, The Caribbean Journal of a Royal Navy Seaman
Otto G. Richter Library, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124
URL: http://www.library.miami.edu/archives/thomas/index.html
When we think of “Indianmen” we sometimes think only of the Dutch. Now in Sweden The Swedish East
India Company has recreated a replica of a sailing ship from the 18th century which will become one of
the world’s largest wooden sailing ships, the Swedish East Indianman Götheborg. Indianmen were of
course, lightly armed trading vessel aimed primarily at the China trade. As witnessed by the quote of
Seaman Thomas above of the HMS Boston, these vessels were also the prey of various warring parties on
the high seas of the 18th century.
Historic craftsmanship meets modern technology
The dimensions of the ship are impressive: some 50 metres long and with a breath of 11 metres,
she is 47 metres tall and displaces 1250 tonnes. She is built solely by the methods of 18th century
craftsmanship and using the materials employed at that time, 75 percent out of oak and the remainder
is built out of pine and elm tree. The vessel’s alignments and its equipment are based on archive
information as well as measurements that were taken from the excavated Götheborg. Some departures
from this principle have, however, been necessary in view of modern marine safety regulations. Hence,
while the exterior presents an 18th century appearance, the outside planking houses all the modern
equipment required for the ship to meet present day classification rules.
To read about this new edition to Europe’s wooden world go to...
http://www.soic.se/4.1e228bcf782be0db97fff408.html
Is the Stan Rogers song “Barrett’s Privateers” true?
Sure, We’re not privateers here, but the story ties nicely into the Richmond’s time line and its a damn
interesting story all the same.
Sure you heard it and who knows, you might have actually tried to sing it once or twice if you had the voice.
For those wondering if its based in facts, here’s the scholarly approach. The song was analyized for accuracy by
Dan Conlin a historian and student of “Profiteering”
from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Well, no, not literally. There was no Elcid Barrett. There
was no Antelope sloop and there wasn’t even a town of
Sherbrooke in the year of 1778. Rogers basically made
up an imaginary privateer to carry a 60s anti-war theme
in a traditional folk setting. Having said all that, many of
the details, ranging from the type of cannons mentioned
to the letter of marque reference, are very authentic. Stan
Rogers did a fair bit of reading about privateering and
appears to have been influenced by the historian Archibald MacMechan, who wrote several books on Canadian privateers, as well as a privateering song of his own,
The Ballad of the Rover.
Below you will find the lyrics to Stan Rogers’ song with
explanatory notes.
Barrett’s Privateers - by Stan Rogers. Inspired by a story
from Bill Howell, a Halifax poet, and influenced in style
by Friends of Fiddlers Green. The following comments
are intended to supply background to the period details.
Further discussion about Stan Rogers and this song can
be found on the very interesting Stan Rogers Website.
Congrats and best wishes to the successful Stan Rogers
Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia!
“Oh the year was 1778...”
In the American Revolution (1775-1783) aggressive
American raiding of Nova Scotian communities provoked previously neutral Nova Scotians into privateering
against the Americans. Nova Scotia had a long history of
privateering before and after this time.
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!) “
Sherbrooke is a town on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore the
area of Stan Rogers’ family. However it did not get the
name Sherbrooke until 1815 and very sparsely settled in
1778. For more on Sherbrooke’s history, check out the
Sherbrooke Village web page. Some have suggested this
may in fact be a reference to a large successful privateer
ship named Sir John Sherbrooke, which the rueful singer
wishes he joined instead of the scummy Antelope.
“A letter of marque came from the King”
A letter of marque or privateering license was issued by a
colonial governor using authority conveyed by the King,
in this case George III.
Here are some examples of real Letters of Marque.
“To the scummiest vessel I’d ever seen”
Privateer captains and owners generally chose new and
fast vessels but occasionally there were hasty gambles with
inadequate vessels.
CHORUS:
God damn them all! I was told, we’d
cruise the seas for American gold
Privateering was a handy mix of wartime patriotism and
the chance to make your fortune. Real privateer recruiting, such as the newspaper advertisement run by the privateer Revenge in 1779, used phrases appealing to men”
desiring honour and fortune”.
“We’d fire no guns! Shed no tears!”
This was a realistic promise. Other than the obligatory
warning shot the vast majority of privateer captures were
completely bloodless.
“But I’m a broken man on a Halifax pier”
Other hazards that could produce broken men, but they
were more like shipwreck, disease or conscription into the
tyrannical Royal Navy.
“The last of Barrett’s Privateers “
The song ex age rates the battle risks of privateering, offering us a case of a crew who all perish in battle except
the singer. No Canadian privateering vessel suffered such
a fate in battle. The closest match in reality is probably
the schooner Rolla, which sank in an 1815 storm with all
hands.
“O, Elcid Barrett cried the town”
There was no real Elcid Barrett. Stan Rogers, accord-
ing to his mother, borrowed the “Elcid” from a friend
because he liked its old fashioned sound. Barrett was a
common surname in several Nova Scotian privateering
communities and a Robert Barret shows up on the crew
list of one privateer ship in 1799, although only as seaman, not captain!
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!)
For twenty brave men, all fishermen,
who...”
Twenty men was very small for a privateer vessel. many
carried crews of a hundred or more. Fishermen were
often draw to privateering but so was almost every trade
of the time from carpentry to medicine.
“Would make for him the Antelope’s
crew”
Even a small sloop would usually have a crew of thirty
or more to man guns and crew captured ships. However
perhaps the fictional Antelope was in such bad shape
that few wanted to join her.
Antelope was a very common vessel name in the 1700s.
It was used literally by hundreds of vessels. (As a very
fast animal in a far away place, it was a great name for
an owner to pick to promote his vessel’s speed.) - another
example of Stan Rogers’ great sense of authenticity (not
to mention irony!) in picking an appropriate period
name for his fictional vessel.
sloppy ballasting, a very worrisome sign.
“And the cook in the scuppers with the
staggers and jags...”
Scuppers a small holes to drain water from decks and a
logical place to find someone reeling from an alcoholic
affliction.
On the King’s birthday we put to sea
King George III’s birthday: June 4. Often celebrated
by privateer owners with flags and cannons, although
marked less enthusiastically by average folk
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!)
We were ninety-one days to Montego
Bay”
In Jamaica, but actually a poor privateer base as it was
too close to navy ships who might conscript your crew
and too far removed from American trade routes.
“Pumping like Madmen all the way”
Ships damaged in storms, or in this case, a worn-out,
leaky vessels had to be pumped continuously, a wearing and backbreaking task. Rogers was perceptive in
this reference. Privateer logbooks on long cruises to the
west Indies often attest to heavy pumping. Pumping was
usually helped by rhythmic work songs called chanties.
Barrett’s Privateers could be used as a chanty, but the
rhythm is not ideal.
“The Antelope sloop was a sickening
sight.”
“On the ninety-sixth day we sailed
again”
A sloop is a single masted sailing vessel, usually quite
small. Some very successful privateers were sloops, such
as the Dart from Saint John, New Brunswick. However,
their small size meant they were good for only short
range privateering. One privateer sloop, Frances Mary,
made a disastrous cruise to the West Indies in 1800 that
bears some resemblance to the fate of Antelope. Sloop
also had another meaning as a class of Royal Navy warships, smaller than a frigate but larger than a schooner.
However there is no little or no evidence that this meaning of sloop was used by privateers.
Five days meant a quick top-up of supplies and hopefully some repair work to the Antelope’s undersides!
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!)
She’d a list to the port and her sails in
rags”
Very accurate description of a favoured size of privateer cannon, the four pounder. A small gun, about the
thickness of a telephone pole and firing a ball weighting 4 pounds, these guns were lightweight, making a
Listing means a vessel tilted to one side by leaking or
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!)
When a bloody great Yankee hove in
sight”
A large merchant ship was always the sought-after
prize. Many privateers under 100 tons but captured 400
or 500 ton enemy vessels.
“With a our cracked four pounder we
made to fight”
vessel fast and sea-worthy. The drawback was their very
limited range. Some privateers armed mainly with four
pounders, such as the brig Rover and the ship Charles
Mary Wentworth, enjoyed very successful careers, but
it took a very skilled commander and gunner to deploy
them effectively.
“The Yankee lay low down with gold”
This is stretching possibilities as the rebellious colonies
had little or no gold to ship, let alone enough to weight
a ship down, although one could perhaps suggest a gold
payment headed to their friends, the French, to pay for
supplies. Of course a valuable cargo like rum or whale
oil would be nearly worth its weight in gold.
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!) “She was
broad and fat and
loose in stays”
An authentic gender touch
here - seaman often used
the same language to
describe a vessel as to
describe a woman, so the
image of a large overweight
woman is used to convey a
large slow ship. This is re-enforced with the description of rigging.
Stays are the lines used to support masts from
the bow (Shrouds support masts from the sides.) but the
word stays also referred to corsets (a women’s undergarment covering the waist), hence the image of a large,
sloppy woman. Hardly non sexist language, but appropriate to its 18th century setting! There is another layer
of nautical terminology here. “Stays” and “in stays” also
refer to the process of tacking, zig zagging as you sail
into the wind. A vessel that is “loose in stays” could refer
to one that is slow and clumsy in coming about while
tacking, and thus should be easy for a privateer to catch,
that is any privateer aside from the woeful Antelope.
“But to catch her took the Antelope two
whole days”
Privateer chases usually took only hours, such as a typical chase by the Duke of Kent, but sometimes days and
obviously in this case, the ragged sails and loose rigging
of the Antelope eroded her speed.
“Then at length we stood two cables
away”
That would be 400 yards. (1 cable = 1/10th of a nautical
mile or 100 fathoms and 1 fathom = 2 yards)
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!)
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din ”
Even a 4 pounder in good condition would be at the
edge of its range at that distance and its destructive
power would be minimal, so the Antelope’s guns would
indeed make some nice loud noises but accomplish little
of use.
“But with one fat ball the Yankee
stove us in”
Highlighting the chief disadvantage
of a 4 pounder! You had to rapidly
close in or an enemy with longer
range and heavier guns could
make a mess of you.
“The Antelope shook
and pitched on her
side”
Actually pitching refers an up and
down movement. A vessel would roll
on its side, but that perhaps is nit-picking.
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!)
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs”
Such a vivid metaphor! And a grimly accurate way to
illustrate the carnage of a naval battle which usually
resulting from the splinters and wreckage sent flying by
enemy shot.
“And the main truck carried off both me legs ”
There are several possibilities here. “Truck” is an old nautical term for a round or cylindrical piece of wood (Falconer’s
Marine Dictionary - 1780) such as the round cap found at
the very top of the mast, in this case the mainmast, hence
“main truck” which we can assume came crashing down
with great violence as Antelope disintegrates. A truck also
refers to the heavy round wheels on the carriages holding a
cannon. Eric Ruff curator of the Yarmouth County Museum once discussed this with Stan Rogers, who at first told
him that “main truck” meant gun carriage but later took Eric’s
advice and decided use to use the explanation that it refers to
the very top of the mast.
“So here I am in my twenty third year ”
This is very close to the average age for privateer crewmen that
I calculated in my MA thesis, based on studies of crew lists.
“(How I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now!)
It’s been six years since we sailed away”
Privateers were treated as POWs and would only be held for
the duration of the war, in this case another four years, and
often less as prisoner exchanges usually let them return within
a year of capture. However one can imagine that this lad was
perhaps stranded in perhaps the French Caribbean and spent
two years working money and passage to return home.
“And I just made Halifax yesterday”
Halifax of course being the major British North American port
after the loss of the 13 colonies and a logical place for a POW to
return.
For a look at sources, have a look at my privateering Reading
guide and Bibliography based on my MA Thesis on Canadian Privateering. Thanks for comments and suggestions from
Chris Gabbett, Mark Murphy and Jim Roberts among
many.
Dan Conlin [email protected]
Assault on the San Juan?
“..the Dons had an exceedingly strong fortress at the
front of the harbour”
The Frigate Richmond received a curious inquiry concerning a certain Spanish Fort (Castillo de San Cristóba) in Puerto Rico which needs to be recaptured by
the crown. The gentleman proposing this “event” seems
sincere and well connected. I have told him that there are
a number of naval units in the lower eastern seaboard that
would be interested in this event.
More to follow as it becomes available.
http://www.nps.gov/saju/
What a great “cutting out” location!
Hello Capt. Fisher;
It will be great. I will keep you informed of the progress.
I have been re-enacting for the last 8 years. I belong
to the 3rd Cuirassiers French Napoleonic. I live in
Ohio and I am originally from Puerto Rico. I have
been thinking on this idea for years, but when I went
to la Coruña in July, I realized that there were enough
Spanish troops to create this event. I have been in
touch with the Municipal Government and they are very
interested. right now I am preparing the proposal. Have
you seen photos of the city? It is as big as Badajoz and
completely preserved with it’s castles and walls. I will
keep you informed with the plans, and hope to see you
in San Juan.
José Torres
The Ballad of the Rover
(Another privateering song)
Copyright 1997 Dan Conlin
Last Revised January 30, 2001
Photos provided
courtesy of Mr.
Torres.
In Pursuit of a
Gig
For many of us recreating a active naval unit will always depend upon one
immediate challenge. “Whereʼs your vessel?”
Some of our members are more then happy to avoid the whole challenge of
maintaining a wooden boat for the purpose of reenacting. Many colonial era
units such as the Pennsylvania Navy have their own jolly boat or gig for use
at events.
An opportunity arose among a Midwestern foundry and supplier to the movie industry to restore an old movie prop from the second “Bounty movie”
for use as a part-time gig for the Shipsʼ Company, Frigate Richmond. There
was just one catch. We (Frigate Richmond) would have to help in its
restoration.
I went to the pole barn in Old Fort, Ohio where the launches are now
kept and talked with Bob Gilmor, a active artillerist and expert at
casting cannons. He also has a soft spot for wooden ships and is interested in getting these old (and I do mean OLD) movie props from
the 50ʼs and 60ʼs, back in shape.
Below are pictures of the boats (one 18ʼ and the other a 12ʼ dingy
with spars and sails), The boats were stored outside on a dry area
(Arizona) and the wood has shrunk. There was a great deal of dry rot
and layers of old paint.
As in anything associated with the movie industry there are some
good elements in the line of the boats and some shortcuts.
I need opinions as to whether this is a good or bad idea.
• Is it a patch on a problem or an opportunity to have a boat?
• Is it better to build from scratch in a situation such as this?
• Is it sweat equity without true ownership or is it a chance to have
boat use without “owning the boat” and all that goes with it?
Email me with your thoughts, [email protected]
The first photo is one
of Bob’s four pound
deck guns.
The second and third
images are the ship’s
boats build on the
longboat model 40
years ago
The 2005 Naval Campaign
(By Period ∫ Conflict)
The French and Indian Wa
r
July 23-24, 2005-The F&I War’s 250th commemorative battle of Braddock’s Defeat - July
23-24, 2005
Braddock was accompanied on the march on Ft Duquesne by thirty seamen from the HMS Norwich
under Lt Charles Spendlowe. It was Spendlowe who discovered the route from Cumberland Md. up
Wills Creek to PA and his trusses became a wickiup decoration. The organizers have been looking
for an outfit to play this role as well as provide “a Spendlowe”. I told them the Richmonds might be
interested. The event will be held at Old Bedford Village just off the PA Turnpike. More particulars to
The American War of Independence
May 14-15, 2005- 225th Anniversary of the Siege of Charles Town, Charleston, SC
http://www.revwarcharleston.com/
The 225th Siege of Charleston will take place on the weekend of May 14 & 15, 2005. The British Army and Royal Navy will
be encamped at Drayton Hall, a National Trust for Historic Preservation Site. The Continental Army will be encamped at
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, located next to Drayton Hall, and British Horse Dragoons will be encamped at Middleton
Place just a few miles down the Ashley River Road from both Drayton Hall and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.This will
be the Premier event for the Royal Navy during 2005.
The event organizers have added the “Charleston Grand British Ball” to the event schedule complete with a link to the web
site for the ball. The event schedule now has the listing of the battle scenarios as well as the surrender ceremony schedule. We
now have over 600 participants registered as of this date and things are shaping up nicely with both the Continental & British
coordinators. The Grand British Ball web site is now up and tickets are now on sale for this fund-raiser on Friday, May 13th.
The URL is www.charlestonball.org.
The War of 1812
July 16-17, 2005-The 2005 School of the Sailor and War of 1812 Grand Tactical
This battle scenario training program is planned to take place at Navy Hall, Fort George National
Historic Site, Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario
A revised schedule of events will be posted to the Richmond 2005 events site:
The Pallas marine cap- One man’s theory.
Below right is a detail of the image of “Two Marines on the Pallas gangway Jan. 1775” and adjacent to that, an
artistʼs rendition (yours truly) of what the obscure monogram could look like. These watercolours were created
by Lt. Gabriel Bray, an officer aboard His Majestyʼs Frigate Pallas. These colored sketches of life aboard ship, are
already familiar to many in the naval living history community. My curiosity about the cap is based on contemporary cap plates of a decade later under the assumption that the British Marine Coat of arms would be the logical
visual deciphering of the red smudges shown in the watercolors.
I have seen cloth used as a
cover on chapeaus and civilian hats of the period. I would
guess that the red color surrounding the brim may be the
reverse side of an old uniform
that was bound with tape and
stitched to the felt of a recycled
cocked hat.
This “fouled anchor” used in
the sketch was taken from the
infamous “light company cap”
supposedly worn during the
War of Independence in 1775 .
You can view further examples
of the Pallas watercolours by
attending to Doug Chasesʼs
excellent examination of uniforms http://britishmarines.org/
Uniforms.htm.
Soundings is a publication of HMS Richmond, Inc. © 2005 All rights reserved
This publication is distributed by and for the membership of Frigate Richmond.
All questions and comments should be directed to Craig Fisher ([email protected])
All opinions expressed are those of the publisher unless otherwise stated.