A successful capture often left both the victor and the prize in need of repairs. A carpenter's mate sent home with the prize crew might have to serve as the captured ship's acting carpenter. Completing that responsibility demonstrated the practical independence expected of a warrant officer. The prospect of receiving a carpenter's warrant made prize duty a powerful professional incentive for skilled members of the carpenter's crew.
Notable Point · 27:04-27:56
Prize crews and promotion for ship's carpenters
Repairing a captured ship and bringing it home as acting carpenter could accelerate a carpenter's mate toward his own warrant.