WORDS ON WEDNESDAY

                 The words this week are Enclosing. Purpose. Care. Patch. Jamming. and Shame.

                                                          THE MUTINY.

The year was 1759. The ex Brigantine Swordfish minus most of its heavy guns, commanded by Captain Flogger Turnbull had left Jamaica with a cargo of Rum it's destination Bristol England.

Most of the crew who were suffering from scurvy had not left the ship for months whilst in Jamaica. when the ship was in the CARE of the local Govt authorities and was being stored and loaded by local slaves, the PURPOSE of this being that the crew were prone to desertion and had been incarcerated by ENCLOSING  them in the bilges of the ship and JAMMING all exits.

On leaving Jamaica the crew were released and finally after their recovery mutined and seized the ship and dealt out the most severe of all maritime punishments. to its officers with one exception the navigator who was spared through necessity.

No maritime punishment has ever exceeded or is a PATCH on a good flogging and finally being Keel Hauled. The SHAME of being stripped naked and flogged and finally being Keel Hauled, meaning being pulled under the bottom of the ship from one side to the other against the resident barnacles usually skinning alive the victim who is then customarily thrown to the sharks to end his miserable life.

However, like most mutineers, the crews of such ships rarely returned to Britain and turned to piracy for the remainder of their miserable lives.
Vest Daily Gaggle.


Comments

Chris B said…
An oceanic masterpiece!
Presumably being keel-hauled was one of the 'worse things happen at sea' my mother told me about when I was a young (and complaining) person.
Elsie Hanlin. said…
Great story! Sounds like Flogger Turnbull got what he deserved.
Vest said…
CHRIS. Keelhauling gave certain relief if you had an Itchy Back you were unable to scratch.
Vest said…
EC. Reminiscent of the Mutiny on the Bounty And Bill flogger Bligh Lt Royal Navy. A most unsavoury maggot.
Vest said…
Elsie Hanlin. Yes he certainly did. And in this era too.
messymimi said…
It sounds like the plan of those officers backfired terribly — they forgot they’d have to let those men out sooner or later, and would be outnumbered when they did.
Vest said…
Messymimi. Most ships in those times carried men paid to protect the officers who were also armed. a mutiny was quite often initiated by those paid to protect, needless to say, the attacker has the advantage of surprise.
Susan Kane said…
A little bit of commonsense would have gone a long way. Was it the English "We are superior and you are scum" way of thinking? I have a British son-in-law with a Doctorate from Cambridge.

I truly enjoy your posts. Will be back.
Vest said…
Susan Kane. Life becomes more pleasant when people like your good self-provide me with encouragement despite most of the contents of my posts being doubtful drivel. I suppose the factual truth of a story could be very boring without a slice of embellishment.

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