itsadmiralactually

[itsadmiralactually]

don’t worry about what’s happening here, just look at the texture 🤌🏼💕

[itsadmiralactually]

But that does not absolve me of my other sins.

[itsadmiralactually]

The person I reblogged this from is awesome as fuck.

[itsadmiralactually]

Mmm, dreamy! Credit goes to the original artist.

[itsadmiralactually]

psa. if we’re mutuals, we’re automatically friends. u don’t need to say things like “sorry to bother” or “sorry im annoying” bc ur not. ur my friend. u can come to me for anything. u need help? im here. wanna chat? hmu. just wanna gush abt your muse? go for it. we’re friends. ily.

[itsadmiralactually]

✨ Scruffington ✨

[ commissions open • ko-fi ]

[itsadmiralactually]

. our Captain of Sorrows . [insp]

[ ko-fi ]

details:

[itsadmiralactually]

The Sailor’s Curse

On 22 October 1707, four Royal Naval warships in a 20-strong fleet under Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell sank at Western Rocks in the Isles of Scilly, losing about 2,000 men. According to legend, however, this was not due to an accident. Instead, it was due to a curse on the part of a sailor.

Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell (x)

The fleet was returning from the Mediterranean and was blown off course by strong winds. The Admiral was convinced that they were in the open waters of the English Channel.  But on his flagship the Association, was a native of Scilly who knew better. He tried in vain to inform the officers that they were heading straight for the rocks, but they would not listen and Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, after several attempts by the Sailor to contact him, was so fed up with him that he summarily sentenced him to death by hanging for insubordination and attempting to incite a mutiny. On the way to the yard the poor man shouted “Kill me and ye shall all drown” .  But his warning went unheeded and the disaster took its course. One version of the legend now says that a storm came up and pushed the ships against the western rocks of the island. The other made it even more dramatic, because the corpse that had previously been buried in its hammock was said to have escaped from it and was floating on the surface of the water, and as soon as it was sighted, the storm started.

Sir Cloudesly Shovel in the Association with the Eagle, Rumney and the Firebrand, Lost on the Rocks of Scilly, October 22, 1707 (x)

The ships smashed against the rocks and thousands lost their lives, including the admiral himself. But the curse had something else in mind for him. Legend has it that he was found alive on the beach at Porthellick Cove on St Mary’s. The cause is said to have been bad positioning and the ship being wrecked. Unconscious and surrounded by dead Sailors, he was buried together with them, and alive. The other version is that a local woman killed him to get his jewellery before burying him.

In the end, his body was recovered a day later and buried in Westminster Abbey on 22 December 1707 at the behest of Queen Anne.

But is there even a spark in these legends ? probably not. For they only appeared in 1780 and were then written down as ballads. Presumably it was really just bad positioning and ignorance of longitude, but faulty nautical charts and navigation tables are now also assumed.

Eventually, this event led to the introduction of the ship’s chronometer.

[itsadmiralactually]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

A breathtaking declaration

[itsadmiralactually]

girl help i can’t stop drawing him

[itsadmiralactually]

Duties of the men in different parts of the ship - Part 1

As some of you may have noticed, I have been working for some years on explaining in more detail the different positions and their tasks on a ship. So far, this has mostly been about officers. Many of the men on board also often served as mates to support an officer. The Sailors themselves were assigned to positions by the First Lieutenant in a Station Bill based on their experience and skills. Here is a rough list of their respective posts and duties. I will deal with some of them in more detail in a separate post.

A station bill by Henry Powlett 1788 (x)

Boatswains mates, working with the watch, relay all orders from the officer of the deck and signal by whistle to tack, haul or moor in accordance with those orders. They are stationed at a mast or in the gangway to pass on the orders of the officer on duty by whistle. They assist the boatswain who could not be on deck at all times or at every position.

Carpenter’s Mate and Carpenter’s Gang assemble and disassemble capstans and pumps, clean pumps and skylights. And assisted the Carpenter with basic work on board.

Master’s Mates are experienced Sailors and later Midshipmen who were waiting for their examination or commission. They served as deputies to the Lieutenant of the Watch.

The quartermaster’s mates were more skilled and less gruff than the boatswain’s mates, these were often older Sailors who conn, or direct the steerage of the ship. Other duties included the stowage of ballast and provisions, coiling of the cables, turning the hour glasses and supervising the purser’s steward.

Station Bill of USS Constitution lists the nearly 100 sailors assigned to handling sails on the mainmast, by  Lt. Peter Turner 1839 (x)

Gunner’s Mates they helped the Gunner keep the guns and carts in line, maintain and clean the exterior of the guns and carts, put powder in the cartridges, align the guns and make sure the guns were always ready.

Forecastle men ( mostly older sailors) were too constantly responsible for the operations in the forecastle.This meant that they looked after the sails on the bowsprit, the jib boom, the flying jib boom, the foremast and the foresail, the head-sails, fore-sail, lower fore sail, and topmast studding-sails as the lower part of the foremast to put it simply. Stowing the anchors was also part of their job, as was keeping the upper deck clean from the head to the foremast.

Fore-top men, took care of the foremast sails that came above the lower headsail. This meant they took care of the fore top sails, top gallant sails and royal; main top mast and top gallant staysail, set and furled fore top gallant staysail and hooked the burton for top mast staysail. Keep foreship and fore channels clean and in order and clean port gangway.

The duties of the main- and main-topmen are much, the same, so I will not list them again here.  

[itsadmiralactually]

New York City ballet production of Midsummer Nights Dream

[itsadmiralactually]

utilising the gift of imagination to hallucinate moments of tenderness between fictional people

[itsadmiralactually]

James Norrington’s eyebrow raise in “Curse of the Black Pearl” and “Dead Man’s Chest”
requested by seracd

[itsadmiralactually]

James Norrington photocards

[itsadmiralactually]

Jack Davenport as Jonathan Nightingale from Amazon Prime’s Ten Percent

[itsadmiralactually]

oh but what has this world done to you?