Almost forgot. There was another event that helped me get selected to be an Artificer in the Royal Navy. The year before finally being accepted at the age of 15 I applied for and was given a seven day “scholarship” aboard the oldest still moored naval gunship.
The ship was an 80-gun third rate of the Royal Navy, one of only two British-built 80-gun ships of the period. Launched on 31 March 1798. Served initially as the flagship to a one eyed one armed Admiral before he took command of his more famous flagship.
The ship was moored in the harbour of the main Royal Navy port of the United Kingdom in the south of England. Myself and around 20 other wannabee sailors spent the week “enjoying” the early rising, deck cleaning, and a great deal of small boat drill.
The most amusing part of the whole thing was how to “build” a hammock including the tying and untying of the nettles each day and then getting in and out of the hammocks! The week included a couple of day trips to a nearby island and a visit to what was then the world’s most famous flagship.
The “scholarship” , despite it’s brevity, was received well by the selection team and helped with the acceleration of the initial Artificer training.
