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Chapter 3 - 1803 - 1814 -
From There Go the Ships by George Shirley

Page 46
old cruising ground. During the time we were refitting the men were drafted mostly to other ships; but the officers and I preferred to stop, and so we sailed with nearly new crew and officers. The captain wished me to leave, as well as several after him, on being appointed to larger ships, but I steadily refused. At last one captain said he could not understand why I constantly refused to leave when I was repeatedly offered promotion with an increase of pay. I liked my ship, Dashing Cleopatra as she was called. Everything on board of her seemed clear to me; she was

 
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my home. Whilst I was in her we had seven captains, six carpenters, twelve boatswains, and two entire new ship's companies, between 1804 and 1813, a period of eight years and seven months.

And then there was another reason. We were mostly cruising by ourselves, a kind of a "free lance," our circle of officers small-there being but the captain, three lieutenants, master, and doctor, that were above me in rank, so we were more thrown together, and "less caste." I dined two and three times a week with one of my captains. Now in a 74-gun-ship which they wanted me to go with they had seven lieutenants, besides a captain of the marines, doctor, and master ranking above me, besides a crew of five hundred men. Then came the subject of prize money. It was quite clear that my share would not be one-fourth of what it would if I stopped in the Cleopatra. And again we were mostly by ourselves, and the prize was our own, whereas a 74 was mostly forming part of a squadron, and then

© Peter Smith 2008