An East India voyage could last eighteen months or two years, so the employment term followed the ship rather than a modern fixed rotation. Near the home port, sailors might flee in boats when a press vessel appeared. Escaping protected them from forced naval service but could also cost them the final portion of their voyage wages. The episode shows how employers and the Royal Navy placed competing claims on the same pool of experienced seamen.
Notable Point · 52:08-53:00
Voyage contracts ended under the threat of impressment
East Indiaman crews were commonly hired for an entire voyage, but the return to Britain could expose them to Royal Navy press gangs.