Battle Of Trafalgar Ships.

[benny1982]

I always wonder how many people were on each ship though that fought in the British fleet?

[AnnieB5051]

Women weren't pressganged - officially they didn't serve at sea at all. In fact, quite a number of women were to be found on many navy ships - they shared the hammocks and lives of the seamen without pay or complaint (well, rarely complaining!). They often acted as nurses during battle, amongst other jobs. One Admiral (?) made a comment at the end of the 18th century about the navy ships becoming floating brothels or some such (not quite that term, but something similar), and there was an attempt to remove women from the ships - their number was reduced but they were not completely removed as they were seen as being good for morale!
As they were never on the muster books of the ships, they are hard to track down as individuals or accurately record their numbers. I think David Cordingly addresses the subject a little in his book "Heroines and harlots".

Anne

[Stephen Evans]

Can I recommend the Nelson and his World site, that deal with all things, Nelson.