FROM PRIZE MONEY

Evening Star, Issue 21544, 17 October 1933, Page 11

FROM PRIZE MONEY

FORMER NAVY FORTUNES Tlio Navy is not regarded as a moneymaking profession, but in the days when prize money was distributed among the officers and men of ships which captured enemy vessels some naval officers made fortunes (says the Melbourne ‘ Ago ’). It was estimated that Admiral Lord Koclney, who was in command of a British fleet operating in the West Indies during 1780-82, received £435,000 in prize money. On May 21, 1762, two English frigates, the Active and the Favourite, captured off Cadiz the Spanish ship Hcrraione, which had left Lima, Peru, on January 6 with a valuable cargo, including a largo quantity of gold and silver. The not amount realised by the sale of the cargo was £516,095, whereas the ship herself realised only £3,010. The captain of the Active was awarded £65,053 in prize money, and the captain of the Favourite received £64,872, Five commissioned officers received €13,000 each, Of teen warrant officers £4,330 each, thirty-six potty officers £I,BOO each, and two hundred and sixty-eight seamen and marines £4BO each.

ln April, 1793, when England and France wore at war, a naval squadron under the command of Admiral Gell, consisting of four “ sail of tho line ’ and a frigate, fell in with the French privateer Dnmouricr, which cloven days before had captured tho Spanish ship St. Jago, with a valuable cargo, including silver in bars amounting to £500,000. Admiral Goll’s share of the prize money amounted to £70,465, and each of the captains of the ships under Ids command received £28,186. Commissioned officers received £2,072, warrant officers £1,194, potty officers £332, and seamen £34.

Sometimes sailors spent their prize money very foolishly. ‘ Lloyd’s Evening Post ’ of January 26, 1763, stated; ‘‘ Amongst the many uncommon pranks played by the crew of the Active, man-o'-war, which took the Hcrmiono, is the following: Two of the common sailors at Plymouth, after they had got their prize money, not only decorated themselves bub their lasses also; one of them bought a sufficient quantity of rich brocaded silk to make his temporary wife a full sack, and insisted on its being lined with the same; which was done accordingly. The other hired three post-chaises to go from Plymouth to the dock, which is about two miles; in one of them he put his oak stick, in the second his wig, and got into the third himself, and rode in state, bareheaded. Afterwards those two jolly tars met with one of their messmates at a public house, the landlord of which, not having anything they liked for dinner, one of them ordered a, frying pan and a large lump of butter, declaring he would stand cook, when they came to a resolution, ncin con., to fry their watches.” The system of distributing prize money among tho officers and men of ships taking part in the capture of enemy ships was abolished at tho outbreak of the Great War by an Order in Council. It was felt that tho system would prove unjust to the officers ami men of those ships carrying out important operations away from the trade routes, whore prizes wore to be picket; up. Few, if any, of tho British dread noughts captured prizes during the Great War, whereas the cnii-cr Suffolk took sixty-seven prizes, and the Niohc sixty-live. A system of gratuities distributed among tho officers and men of tho Navy was substituted for the old prize money system. At the close of the war admirals of squadrons received gratuities of £4,000 each, captains £875, lieutenants £l7O, warrant officers £BS, petty officers £54, and able seamen £33. Admiral Lord Beatty, wbo was commander-in-chief of the Navy during (he closing years of the war, was voted £IOO,OOO by the British Parliament. Admiral Lord Jcllieoe was voted £50,000, and five other admirals wore voted £IO,OOO each.