The Royal Navy did not sell its commissions, although adjacent appointment systems were less tidy. The relationship between Royal Marines appointments and commission purchase is less clear, while shipboard doctors, carpenters, and other specialists served under warrants. Sea examinations also became a way to control entry when the Navy had more prospective lieutenants than it wanted to carry on the pay list. Formal examination did not remove every personnel problem because promotion by seniority could still produce the pattern known as Buggins' turn. The Army formally ended commission purchase in 1871, while naval seniority remained a separate obstacle to selecting the best candidate.
Notable Point · 58:09-1:00:57
Naval examinations, Marine commissions, and warrants
Royal Navy examinations, Royal Marines appointments, specialist warrants, and promotion by seniority involved different routes to naval authority.