Why naval officers needed money without buying promotion

Did Royal Navy officers buy their promotions?

Royal Navy promotion depended on examinations, but captains still needed private means or prize money to meet the social expenses of command.

The Royal Navy differed from the British Army's purchase system. A naval officer did not buy the promotion itself, yet command brought expenses that ordinary pay might not cover. A captain supplemented his personal steward's naval pay and paid for officers' dinners and drink, while officers shared breakfast and lunch costs through their mess. Existing wealth could support those obligations, and a successful officer could also rely on prize money accumulated earlier in his career. Wealth helped meet the costs of command, while the lieutenant's examination remained a separate professional requirement.