Sailors Quarters Frigate Unicorn On History Visit To Victoria Dock Dundee Tayside Scotland

Tour Scotland short 4K travel video clip, with Scottish music, of the Sailors Quarters, where the ordinary seamen lived and slept on hammocks below deck in the Frigate Unicorn on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to Victoria Dock, Dundee, Tayside, Britain, United Kingdom. A seaman's life was hard, and he had to be tough to survive, so ship's officers kept strict discipline on board. In this way they hoped to keep morale high and prevent mutiny. The main rations were salt beef or pork, cheese, fish, ale and some form of ship's biscuit. The quality of food deteriorated because of storage problems, lack of ventilation, and poor drainage. It was also affected by the presence of rats and other vermin on board. Typical jobs on board included cook, parson, surgeon, master gunner, boatswain, in charge of the sails, carpenter and quartermaster. Other members of the crew would, of course, carry out all the duties, including keeping watch, handling sails, and cleaning decks. It was not always possible to fill ships’ crews with volunteers, especially in wartime, so the law allowed gangs to seize men and force them to join a ship. Pressing peaked in the 18th century but it was still going on as late as 1850. There was a great deal of sickness at sea. Seamen were often cold and wet, rats carried disease, and a poor diet not only caused malnutrition, but specific illnesses such as scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet. As well as injury from shipboard accidents, there was risk of death or maiming in times of battle. Ships' surgeons worked in cramped and filthy conditions with no anaesthetic, so infection and gangrene was commonplace. It is interesting to note that the names for jobs of men responsible for working a ship; boatswain, coxswain, seamen, are of Anglo-Saxon origin, while those of officers; Captain, Lieutenant, Admiral are of Norman-French origin. This is an indication of a class distinction between roles on board. HMS Unicorn is a surviving sailing frigate of the successful Leda class, although the original design had been modified by the time that the Unicorn was built, to incorporate a circular stern and " small timber " system of construction. The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. The Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland, used prior to 1603 by the Kings of Scotland was supported by two unicorns and the current royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is supported by a unicorn for Scotland along with a lion for England. The unicorn is frequently found as an ornament on mercat crosses. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. @tourscotland All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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