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In the 18th century the Royal Navy encouraged boys as young as nine years of age to enlist as "servants," with the lower age not being raised to thirteen until 1794. Cabin boys performed a variety of functions such as errand boys, servants to officers, mess attendants, and on armed vessels as powder monkeys.
Once a boy, further advancement could be obtained through various specialties. A cabin boy assisted with the ship's kitchen, as well as other duties, while a powder monkey helped in the ship's armoury. [citation needed] After the Age of Sail ended, the position of ship's boy became an actual Royal Navy rank known as "boy seaman". [citation needed]
After spending more than 15 years and tons of money on a labor of love, he walked away from the sinking ship. He said he made the right decision.
In 1828, ships were allowed to have boys between 14 and 18 at the ratio of one boy for every two guns the ship carried. (i.e. a 44 gun frigate could have up to 22 boys in its crew.) Article 464 of Naval Regulations published in 1833 stated, "A recruiting officer shall enter no boy under thirteen years of age; nor any person under twenty-one ...
The Loss of the Ship "Essex" Sunk by a Whale and the Ordeal of the Crew in Open Boats Thomas Gibson Nickerson (March 20, 1805 – February 7, 1883) was an American sailor and author. In 1819, when he was fourteen years old, Nickerson served as cabin boy on the whaleship Essex .
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The youngest merchant seamen were invariably "Boy" ratings, Deck Boys, Galley Boys, Mess Room Boys, Stewards Boys or Cabin Boys and were typically 14 or 15 years of age. [7] Two brothers, Ken and Ray Lewis from Cardiff, were killed sailing together aboard the SS Fiscus aged 14 and 15 years respectively when it was sunk by U-99. [8] [9]
Depiction of a cabin boy by Thomas Rowlandson (1799). On the Francis Spaight, only the four teenage cabin boys were submitted to a lottery, which resulted in one of them being killed and consumed. In other cases, it is known that somebody was killed for survival cannibalism without a fair lottery taking place.