Naval Disipline

[Deadwood]

I was just doing some research for a Historical Fiction piece I am writing, and I was looking up some facts on naval punishment, you know to make sure the story is inline with what really happened aboard ship 150 years ago.

Well did you know that a common offense for enlisted men was get 20 lashing with a cat of nine tails for "being unclean". Now that could mean being unkempt, but more than likely it was for masturbation. Can you image being on a ship, alone for months at a time, and yet not being able to have any "release" for fear of being severely punished?

I thought that might make for an interesting story and thus I posted it here. Any thought?

 

[Carnevil9]

Those ships were already full of seamen.

 

[oggbashan]

I was just doing some research for a Historical Fiction piece I am writing, and I was looking up some facts on naval punishment, you know to make sure the story is inline with what really happened aboard ship 150 years ago.

Well did you know that a common offense for enlisted men was get 20 lashing with a cat of nine tails for "being unclean". Now that could mean being unkempt, but more than likely it was for masturbation. Can you image being on a ship, alone for months at a time, and yet not being able to have any "release" for fear of being severely punished?

I thought that might make for an interesting story and thus I posted it here. Any thought?

"Unclean" is more likely to mean buggery which was prevalent on ships at sea for a long time. The offence was being caught doing it.

Og

 

[rosco rathbone]

The Captain's drunk
the navigator's dead
and the sails are catching fire

 

[emap]

Unclean was a reference to being out of uniform and/or not doing their job. Had little to do with sex of any form, unless say someone is giving out blowjobs on deck, at which point any man in line for said and the man giving would be considered unclean.

Getting things done fast and correctly was the only thing keeping sailors from spending the rest of their lives lost, or taking to long to reach the port they are heading for, either one is a death sentence because of the rations, they carried enough to make the trip plus extra, the extra was a rather ship by ship and trip by trip thing so you never knew how much you did or did not have.

However, for a sexy little story at sea, there was a rather common practice of having an empty barrel with a hole or two, sometimes it was a cabinet instead. The way these worked one man would be put into the barrel or cabinet, the rest of the off duty sailors would come up to said barrel or cabinet and shove their cock in, the man inside would either suck them off or bend over. I suppose a hand job would work as well, though most likely would not be greeted favorably.

Now of course if say you don't want to do a gay story, women were present on ships, not as often as every ship, but more often than men thought. Women can crossdress to you know.

Alternate way, stow away, she sneaks aboard to get away from parents, overbearing husband or betrothed,a dn hides in the barrel or cabinet. When the next man's turn int he barrel or cabinet comes along he goes down to find someone in there already, strikes a deal to not tell captain and of course the 'fun' begins.

 

[Perfect_Trust]

Well, I know a Naval Officer who is big on history. I'd give you his email address, except he's a complete fantasist anyway. WORST sex I ever had in my life...subby little officer posing as a Dom, lol.

But good luck with the story, I'm sure there's plenty of info online?

edited for typo!

 

[Deadwood]

What I was researching was something called "the Gunners Daughter", or "Kissing the Gunner's Daughter".

It was a funny name giving to a serious punishment. Younger navy lads would be tied to the cannons, bent over the breech while being caned on the bare butt. One such boy was given this punishment for watching the captain have "amicable domestic relations" with a woman inside his cabin while the window shades were open. The boys father protested to the King and everything about the punishment, but the Captain was not court-marshaled for it or anything.

 

[snooper]

... One such boy was given this punishment for watching the captain have "amicable domestic relations" with a woman inside his cabin while the window shades were open. The boys father protested to the King and everything about the punishment, but the Captain was not court-marshaled for it or anything.

Quite right too. That was the normal punishment of the day; now we still punish "Peeping Toms", but in ways more in keeping with the mores of our time.

 

[emap]

Yes though I think perhaps life was better then, when you wronged you were punished fitting the offense, well generally worse than the offense.

Now you wrong and you sit in a cell get three square meals a day and have TV and internet access, how is that punishment?

 

[Deadwood]

Yes though I think perhaps life was better then, when you wronged you were punished fitting the offense, well generally worse than the offense.

Now you wrong and you sit in a cell get three square meals a day and have TV and internet access, how is that punishment?

I know what you mean. My family was part of the Puritan Religion back in the 1600's. If you acted funny back then, well they just burned you at the stake! I am not so sure why they stopped the practice, I guess they never got many BTU's out of burning witches even though it was quite the renewable energy supply.

Just kidding of course...disclaimer to follow...no real witches were harmed in the making of this post!!

 

[emap]

Heck witch hunts were just to get the women the other women were scared of, or rather the sluts who were being boned by their husbands.

Oh I forgot men also named witches, these witches where the women who would not let the man bone her.

 

[Deadwood]

There is a good story in that statement somewhere my friend. A good writer wishing to do something outside the norm, and explore church sex and historical erotic fiction could glean something from that time period I'm sure.

 

[rosco rathbone]

However, for a sexy little story at sea, there was a rather common practice of having an empty barrel with a hole or two, sometimes it was a cabinet instead. The way these worked one man would be put into the barrel or cabinet, the rest of the off duty sailors would come up to said barrel or cabinet and shove their cock in, the man inside would either suck them off or bend over. I suppose a hand job would work as well, though most likely would not be greeted favorably.

I'd like to see the historical documentation on this so called rather common practice.

 

[emap]

Well sadly I can't show you, I remember seeing a program about it. I beleive they had a holed barrel at a musuem and they talked about why there were holes in the barrel.

Apparently used as a form of punishment along with assigning people to get in. Which rather makes sense, not to many men actually admit to being gay or bisexual so being placed in the barrel to service the other sailors would be a rather good incentive to do your job right, unless say he is a closet gay or bisexual.

I remember they went on to talk about the cabinet and how some were carved up to show a woman with the holes in the appropiate places. Generally a stand alone cabinet with both sides having a hole.

Now fairly common was how they put it, they weren't sure said 'I am sure many boats had such devices though the actual number is unknown. The sailor journals we have found roughly half make a mention of such an item on board' At least that is how I remember it.