Sending handwritten orders to a large squadron created more clerical work than an admiral, flag lieutenant, and writer could easily handle. Wives and daughters with writing and language skills could help copy orders, forming an unofficial staff. Sailors' wives and families also sometimes lived aboard, with children born even during the Battle of Trafalgar. Enforcement varied by captain and could be more relaxed aboard senior officers' large ships because women's skills were needed. The people living and working aboard therefore extended beyond the formal naval establishment.
Notable Point · 1:20:59-1:26:19
The informal staff behind an age-of-sail admiral
Admirals' wives and daughters helped copy squadron orders, while other sailors' families also lived aboard some sailing warships.