Life on a Merchant Ship Hierarchy
About this video
Discover the real hierarchy aboard a merchant ship, from the ship's boy eating scraps to the captain who can legally flog you. Learn how the supercargo, the merchant's spy, actually outranked the captain when it came to the cargo, and why mutiny was the only exit valve. Chapters: 00:00 The Floating Office 00:12 The Bottom Rung 00:24 The Thirds System 00:36 Risk and Reward 00:48 The Gap 01:00 The Captain's Ceiling 01:12 The Merchant's Spy 01:24 The True King 01:34 The Real King 01:46 Cargo Rules 01:58 The True King 02:10 Mutiny: The Only Exit 02:22 The Ladder Flips 02:34 The Boy's First Storm 02:46 Scraps and Hand-Me-Downs 02:58 The Sailor's Share Math 03:10 The Mate's Daily Whip 03:22 The Captain's Isolation 03:34 The Supercargo's Ledger 03:46 The Merchant's Puppet 03:58 Tension on the Quarterdeck 04:10 The Crew's Choice 04:22 The Ladder's True King Sources & further reading: ā¢ The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy ā N.A.M. Rodger's classic study of 18th-century naval and merchant life, detailing hierarchy and pay systems. ā¢ The World of the Sailor ā Peter Earle's book on the lives of sailors in the 17th-18th centuries, including pay and conditions. ā¢ Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea ā Reference work with entries on 'supercargo', 'thirds', and maritime hierarchy. ā¢ Articles of War (1661) ā https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk ā¢ The National Archives UK ā https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk ā¢ Naval Historical Society of Australia ā Provides articles on historical naval discipline and flogging practices.
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