"How long could a man-o-war stay at sea?" Topic

I'm curious: How long could a warship stay at sea? If you need it narrowed down, let's say Napoleonic era and for a frigate and for an 80-gun first-rate.

thanks!

Depends on climate, conditions and resupply.

EDIT: To clarify, warmer climates are harder on a wooden ship's hull and other components than cooler or temperate climates. However, by the time of the Napoleonic Wars, ships were routinely fitted with copper bottoms to protect against water-born parasites that could damage the wooden hull.

Still, albsent storm or battle damage, the ship could probably last longer than the men (who had better be given some shore leave at some point as a precaution against mutinty), so "indefinitely" is the asnwer.

Good question. I don't believe that there are any easy answers to this. Certainly ships on blockade duty spent several months or more on station. If they could get resupply from newly arriving ships, or even trade with the locals, longer still. Frigates on long cruises could be out for nearly a year, as long as they stop to reprovision at a friendly or neutral location.

There are others out there with vastly more knowledge about this than me. Maybe they will add to what I have done.

with resupply I don't think there was a limit

I recall reading that Collingwood's flagship on the Toulon blockade once went thirteen months without dropping anchor.

Depends on the question, how long could one ship stay at sea before having to resupply/make port is different to how long a supported ship could do so.

In the latter case, effectively infinitely until maintenance or the ship itself failed.

In the former it is the water calculation, but at an educated guess, somewhere between 60 and 80 days depending on lots of small factors.

As others have said, the ship's crew would need resupply every couple of months (2-3 months I suspect with a typical loadout and a typical diet for a typical crew); stretch that too long and you end up with scurvy or just starvation diets. Otherwise the ships themselves were quite robust!

-Will

Although later, the Alabama's time at sea is well documented.

martin

An 80 gunner was a 2nd rate.

A Lively class 38 gun frigate could stow about 6 months worth of supplies including water. A contemporary Leda class frigate, somewhat less due to being designed with French underwater lines. That was a major British complaint about utilizing French captures. Because French ships were designed with finer lines they had smaller holds, despite being larger "tonnage".

Larger British designed ships stowed about six months of supplies as well, though 2nd and 1st rates were somewhat less, due to having relatively more men per square foot of stowage than a third rate.

All of this was one of the reasons French captures tended (note, tended – there were many exceptions) to be in the Channel or close Blockade fleets – because they were back in port for provisions more often.

Regular duty for a third rate was convoy escort for the East india Co. convoy directly from East India Docks, (Blackwall London; currently "Canary Wharf") to Canton China, departs early April and arrives mid November.

Sorry, by 1794, a 2 deck 80 gunner (French Tonnant class or Bucentaure class or British Caesar) were considered 3rd rates. !st and 2nd rates are 3 deckers (generally 98s+). And French had no 2nd rates during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic War.

In the French rating system, a 2 deck 80 was considered a second rate.

In the English rating system, some captures such as Malta, both Formidables (1759 and 1814), Juste, and Gibraltar were rated as 2nd rates, while others such as Christian VII, Canopus, Sans Pareil and Tonnant were rated as 3rd rates. I believe this had to do with whether or not they kept their long 24 pounders after capture. Some of the mid-late 18th century French 80's never had them, BTW.

Some sources such as J. J. College list the British built 80 Foudroyant as a 2nd rate also.

In 1816/17 the British rating system was revised and all 80's were re-rated as 2nd rates.

The French Bretagne was a 2nd rate 90 until she was rebuilt with upper works in the 1770's.

The Spanish had 2 Decker 2nd rates. One of them was decked over with a third gun deck to become the Rayo of Trafalgar fame.

Six months average, add a month for Baltic/Scandinavian coast and Arctic North Sea areas.

Six months, minus one to three months depending on weather and doldrums, due to increased spoilage, etc.

Now, the trick was simple…a fully supplied vessel with regulation salted/dried provisions, spare cordage/sails/spars and a controlled vermin population (Thank God for Midshipmen)…could easily operate under these conditions.

The governing factors were FRESH water and Fresh Fruit/veggies.

In European waters, not a prob…these items were readily available and the Cadiz blockade fleets were easily supplied from Portugal/the Rock and North Africa…though when transport/supply ships were lacking, Ships of the Line were given the task (hence, Keats and his Superbs' absence at Trafalgar…he was waiting in the check out line at Publix).

In the Caribbean and Asia/Southern climes, water spoiled quickly (algae, etc) and fruits/veggies were constantly/regularly needed to combat Scurvy…so that was the rub. The ship could go on and so could its crew…until scurvy was rampant or water disappeared.

As an aside and despite what you might believe…a competent (or better) ships cook with a full larder, spices, a humanitarian captain and a purser who was almost human, could produce surprisingly good and nutritious fare, with Banyan day fare (more or less vegetarian) rivalling or even excelling what one might get onshore.

Blockade duty and morale were enlivened with at least one meal a week consisting of fresh meat/fish, veggies and even more importantly) fresh bread for the crew as long as a steady supply of fresh items from a nearby friendly port could be obtained.

By the same token though…a bad cook, crooked purser and an uncaring captain could easily undo any benefits from fresh supplies.

Many of the chaerts I used in the 1970's-80's still had comments like "source of good water" noted on various coastlines.