A museless writer needs a bit of inspiration

[Elena]

Well, I admit that when I run out of inspiration on the piratical side, there has been a list of possible things which have happened in the pirate world on one of the sites somebody from the Piracy Pub has, and it has helped me a lot.

The list said (I am giving it because I don't remember on whose site it was, and because it helps illustrating my question):

- Wench prisoners' auction

- taking a ship as a prize

- getting a pirate in prison then plotting a prison break

- a trial and a foiled execution

- a mutiny

- dividing shares

- duel suppervised by the quartermaster

- tavern transactions

...etc.

The list was longer, very helpful, and we have been doing some of these topics... with our own twists, of course.

Now, my question is... what can happen aboard a Navy ship?

I'd need a few ideas, because the ones who are playing the captain and the first lieutenant are usually without ideas. They start topics just to play pretend with their characters, then they wonder why nobody answer because they have no idea where they want the topic to go, then the lieutenant throws big smileys at me on yahoo "If you have any idea, I am ready to listen..." So please help me because there is a topic at sea which is going nowhere and I really want to save it.

The idea up to now is that the captain is visiting another allied ship - there are three ships who have caught two pirate ships into a trap. Now the captains are discussing, aboard one of the ship, in which port they will go with the prize ships to be judged and awarded, while on the other ship... what happens? I would like a few general ideas, because what doesn't happen now might happen later.

Thank you very much!

[Daniel]

Well, since no one else is stepping forward...

These events can happen on Navy ships, although most of them could happen on other kinds of ships too.

Flogging a crewman

Hanging a crewman

(On Dutch ships) Keelhauling a crewman

Man overboard, with possible boat launch to rescue him.

Death or sickness of the captain, to be replaced by his senior lieutenant

Storm, leading to loss of sails, masts, or yards, which may then be replaced by jury masts or spares.

The "loose cannon" resulting from mere negligence or broken tackles. This is dangerous anywhere, but on a Navy ship, a loose 24-pounder is a truly fearsome thing: it will not only crush men, but smash right through bulkheads and wales and fall out into the ocean. If this happens below the waterline, the ship sinks.

Crossing the equator (the Equinoctial, as it is called in period), with the accompanying dunking for the first-timers while the old-timers play Neptune and his court.

The opening of sealed orders when one reaches the specified latitude (this is one of the few that's specifically naval).

Mutiny, which can be either the kill-the-officers-and-run-off-with-the-ship type that we know from the movies, or the more common "harbor mutiny," where the crew basically just goes on strike and won't obey further orders, but commits no actual violence. N.A.M. Rodger says that this second kind of mutiny was usually dealt with very leniently, and often led to the Admiralty replacing the captain instead of punishing the crew, although I suspect him of bias.

Arrival of freshly pressed men (this is another exclusively naval one), and surprising types of people sometimes get swept up in the press.

Outbreak of sickness; this was tremendously common although you never see it in the movies. Scurvy, malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, dysentery, cholera . . . if that's not enough for you, go ask Mission, I'm sure he can name plenty more. The ship now flies the yellow flag of quarantine, which makes even the people who aren't sick miserable.

Meeting a friendly ship and exchanging mail. The other ship isn't always happy to do this ("So back up your tops'ls and heave your vessel to / For we have got some letters to be carried home by you...")

Dragging the anchor and getting blown toward (or . . .gulp . . . onto) shore.

Accident to a crewman; besides falling overboard or getting crushed by loose cannons as above, you can get brained when a topman drops a marlinespike, fall from the yards onto the deck, have a yard fall on you, have a halyard break and hit you (particularly bad when the ramshead block is still attached to it), burn your hands sliding down a backstay, get your clothes or pigtail caught in a block, you name it . . .

Ship catches on fire, or simply explodes in a powder magazine accident (see Morgan, Admiral Sir Henry).

And of course, Navy ships sometimes get in sea battles, too.

[Elena]

Thank you very much, Daniel, you have helped me a lot. These are some intriguing ideas, I haven't thought about a few of them!

We have done sea battles and storms, (and of course they aren't outdated, they might be happening some other time too) and the keelhauling of a man followed by a mutiny happened on the privateer ship . A flogging according to the articles had happened on the pirate ship... but all the others are good for the Navy...

Thank you!