The eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Royal Navy offered greater scope for advancement than the later Victorian service. Some men rose from the lowest ranks of ordinary sailors to senior command. That mobility affected the pool of experienced officers available for expeditions such as the First Fleet. The later service's more restrictive promotion culture should not be projected backward onto this period.
Notable Point · 1:23:54-1:24:45
Royal Navy promotion before Victorian rigidity
Promotion from the lower deck remained possible before the Royal Navy became more socially restrictive.