The Royal Navy's practice of paying six months in arrears gave it leverage over mobile sailors. Unpaid wages gave a crew member a strong reason to remain until the account came due. Desertion did not necessarily mean leaving naval service for civilian life. A sailor might move to another commissioning Navy ship to collect its joining bounty, which could be worth as much as two months' wages. Skilled labor moved within the fleet as well as between naval and merchant employers. Delayed pay and recruitment bounties pulled sailors in opposite directions within the same manpower system.
Notable Point · 31:58-32:39
Pay arrears discouraged sailors from bounty-hopping
The Navy's six-month pay arrears gave sailors something to lose if they deserted, while bounties worth as much as two months' wages tempted them to join another naval ship.