David Bianculli

Now, the wager, the ship that you focus on, was not built as a man of war. It was actually a merchant ship that was purchased by the Navy and refurbished for battle. You say it was tubby and unwieldy.

Now, the wager, the ship that you focus on, was not built as a man of war. It was actually a merchant ship that was purchased by the Navy and refurbished for battle. You say it was tubby and unwieldy.

Now, the wager, the ship that you focus on, was not built as a man of war. It was actually a merchant ship that was purchased by the Navy and refurbished for battle. You say it was tubby and unwieldy.

Yeah, it was a little bit like the ugly duckling of the squadron because it had not been born for battle. It had been one of these merchant ships that had been remade into a warship to serve in the war. It was the lowest rated ship. In that period, they rated warships by the number of cannons and the wager at 28. So it was a six rate, which was the lowest rate.

Yeah, it was a little bit like the ugly duckling of the squadron because it had not been born for battle. It had been one of these merchant ships that had been remade into a warship to serve in the war. It was the lowest rated ship. In that period, they rated warships by the number of cannons and the wager at 28. So it was a six rate, which was the lowest rate.

Yeah, it was a little bit like the ugly duckling of the squadron because it had not been born for battle. It had been one of these merchant ships that had been remade into a warship to serve in the war. It was the lowest rated ship. In that period, they rated warships by the number of cannons and the wager at 28. So it was a six rate, which was the lowest rate.

And it had been named after the head of the admiralty at the time, a man named Sir Charles Wager. And the name, in many ways, seemed fitting because they were all, in effect, gambling with their lives.

And it had been named after the head of the admiralty at the time, a man named Sir Charles Wager. And the name, in many ways, seemed fitting because they were all, in effect, gambling with their lives.

And it had been named after the head of the admiralty at the time, a man named Sir Charles Wager. And the name, in many ways, seemed fitting because they were all, in effect, gambling with their lives.

So these boats also needed a lot of sailors to work properly. You say that the Centurion, the flagship of this mission, needed 400 sailors, and that's only one of the ships going on the mission. There are four other warships, there's a scouting boat, and two cargo ships. They all needed personnel, but the Navy was having a hard time recruiting enough men.

So these boats also needed a lot of sailors to work properly. You say that the Centurion, the flagship of this mission, needed 400 sailors, and that's only one of the ships going on the mission. There are four other warships, there's a scouting boat, and two cargo ships. They all needed personnel, but the Navy was having a hard time recruiting enough men.

So these boats also needed a lot of sailors to work properly. You say that the Centurion, the flagship of this mission, needed 400 sailors, and that's only one of the ships going on the mission. There are four other warships, there's a scouting boat, and two cargo ships. They all needed personnel, but the Navy was having a hard time recruiting enough men.

What means did they resort to to find the manpower?

What means did they resort to to find the manpower?

What means did they resort to to find the manpower?

Yeah, so the Great Britain at that time did not have conscription, and it had exhausted its supply of volunteers during this war for the Navy. And so for the squadron, which was desperately short of men, and men were the most essential element, you needed skilled seamen to operate these very complex vessels.

Yeah, so the Great Britain at that time did not have conscription, and it had exhausted its supply of volunteers during this war for the Navy. And so for the squadron, which was desperately short of men, and men were the most essential element, you needed skilled seamen to operate these very complex vessels.

Yeah, so the Great Britain at that time did not have conscription, and it had exhausted its supply of volunteers during this war for the Navy. And so for the squadron, which was desperately short of men, and men were the most essential element, you needed skilled seamen to operate these very complex vessels.

And so what they did was they dispatched the press gangs, and the press gangs would roam into cities everywhere. They would roam into ports and towns and they would look for anyone with the telltale signs of a mariner. You know, if you had even a little tar on the tips of your fingertips, tar was used on a ship a lot. They would say, oh, you're a mariner. They would round you up.

And so what they did was they dispatched the press gangs, and the press gangs would roam into cities everywhere. They would roam into ports and towns and they would look for anyone with the telltale signs of a mariner. You know, if you had even a little tar on the tips of your fingertips, tar was used on a ship a lot. They would say, oh, you're a mariner. They would round you up.