Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:53:14-2:54:16

A 36-hour watch is brutal and operationally wasteful

Exhausting an officer for 36 hours would reduce combat usefulness and expose an abusive captain through required records and independent reports.

Age Of SailFiction Horatio HornblowerNaval AdministrationNaval DisciplineRoyal NavyWatchkeeping
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Question

Was the 36-hour watch punishment in Hornblower realistic?

Short answer

No; it was brutal, made the officer useless, and could expose the captain to removal through reports and punishment records.

Notes

A 36-hour watch would be cruel and would leave a trained officer too exhausted to be useful. It is therefore bad resource management as well as an abusive punishment. A captain also operated under scrutiny from the first lieutenant, master, other officers, and the admiral's staff. Punishments had to appear in the official books, so misconduct could be reported to the Admiralty and cost the captain his command.