The
Master: The highest ranking of the men who usually held their rank by warrant
rather than by commission was the Master.
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The
Master: The highest ranking of the men who usually held their rank by warrant
rather than by commission was the Master.
He was responsible for sailing the ship, the trim of the sails and sailing the ship in battle.
He was expected to know navigation and to teach the young boys such as midshipman how to navigate. He would also be required to carry out survey work and note his findings on his charts and help to make new charts for ships' safety.
To aid the Master in his duties he had Master's Mates who would steer the vessel. It was also the Master's responsibility to keep the ship's log up to date - rather like us keeping a diary today.
Atkinson, Thomas. Master, ship’s book number S031, age 31, nationality British, received a Government grant of £161-0-0 and prize money of £65-11-0, joined VICTORY on the 14th April 1803 as per his Warrant and on leaving Victory was appointed Master-Attendant of Halifax Dockyard, Nova Scotia.
Thomas Atkinson entered the Navy as an able seaman in 1787 aged 19. His first ship was the COLOSSUS and within a few years he became a master’s mate, gaining his Master’s Certificate in 1795.
Whilst serving in the Channel Fleet he was transferred to HMS THESEUS, the flagship of Lord Nelson. Atkinson was regarded as the best Master in the Fleet because of his navigation skills. This was the beginning of an eight year period of service with Nelson who took Atkinson with him from ship to ship.
Thomas Atkinson saw service at Tenerife (1797), The Battle of the Nile (1798), the siege of Acre (1799), Copenhagen (1801) and at Trafalgar (1805).
During the Battle of Trafalgar HMS Victory had her wheel shot away and Thomas Atkinson found himself with Lieutenant Quilliam and 40 sailors steering Victory from the gun-room on the lower gun-deck where a secondary method of steering, a 29 foot tiller, could be found. It took forty sailors to move it by a system of blocks and tackles.
The Artist William Turner described Atkinson as ‘square, large, grey-eyed and standing five feet eleven inches in height'.
Thomas Atkinson died in 1836 at the age of 68.
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