A look through the Navy Register for 1846 (data for 1845, the year the U. S. Naval Academy was founded) reveals many interesting and amusing facets of that Old Navy. Salaries, for instance, are especially noteworthy. George Bancroft, the historian, was Secretary of the Navy at a salary of $6,000 a year. Fourteen persons assisted him in his early EXOS, including an “assistant messenger” at $400 a year. Directly under the SecNav, forming the Navy Department, were the Bureaus of Construction, Equipment, and Repair (16 persons); Navy Yards and Docks (9); Ordnance and Hydrography (14); Provisions and Clothing (6); and Medicine and Surgery (5). The Naval Observatory (21), with Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury at its head, came under the Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography. Rosters are quite detailed from Bureau Chief to the night watchman and porter at the observatory. Bureau Chiefs got up to $3,500 a year, with the Chief of BuMed low man on the totem pole at $2,500.
The principal shore establishments were the Navy Yards: Portsmouth, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Norfolk, Pensacola, and Memphis. Four of the yards had receiving ships: Norfolk, the 120-gun Pennsylvania; Boston and New York the 74s, Ohio and North Carolina; and Philadelphia the little Experiment. Hospitals were located at Chelsea, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Norfolk, Virginia; and Pensacola, Florida, with the Naval Asylum at Philadelphia, a home for superannuated naval personnel.
The ships were a mixed lot. Steam then was in its childhood, as nuclear propulsion now is. Nine steamers are listed, but only three as being in commission—the paddle-wheelers Mississippi (10 guns) (Paixhans) and Michigan (1), plus the Princeton (9). The last was the forerunner of the rugged screw sloops-of-war that were destined to perform so well in the Civil War. The work horses still were the 44-gun frigates of which Cumberland and Congress were typical. Other than the receiving ships, only one ship-of-the-line, Columbus (74), flagship of the East India Squadron, was active; five more and several smaller ships were on the stocks a-building. The operating vessels were assigned to five squadrons, each under a commodore: Home (David Conner), Pacific (John D. Sloat), Brazilian (Lawrence Rousseau), African (Charles W. Skinner)—suppressing the slave trade—and East India (James Biddle), with the Michigan “on the Lakes.”
Officerwise, there were 67 captains (including the commodores), 97 commanders, 326 lieutenants, 69 surgeons, 29 passed assistant surgeons, 36 assistant surgeons, 64 pursers, 22 chaplains, 181 passed midshipmen, 264 midshipmen, 28 masters, 11 master’s mates, 22 professors of mathematics, three teachers of languages, 41 boatswains, 42 gunners, 36 carpenters, and 31 sailmakers. Among the names are some made famous in the War of 1812, such as Captain Charles Stewart, and others that yet were to attain distinction: Captain Matthew C. Perry, Commander David G. Farragut, and Commander Franklin Buchanan, “Superintendent of Naval School, Annapolis, Maryland.” A hint of a protracted tragedy is revealed in that the unfortunate James Barron, heading the list of officers, still was “awaiting orders.” A captain’s pay was then $3,500, $4,000 or $4,500 depending upon employment, with $1,000 deducted while on leave or awaiting orders.
The Marine Corps, with 59 officers, had one colonel commandant (Archibald Henderson), one lieutenant colonel, four majors, 13 captains, 20 first lieutenants, and 20 second lieutenants. The basic pay of a second lieutenant was $25 a month, that of the colonel commandant $75; however, all grades were allowed at least one servant at $15 a month, rations, quarters or an allowance in lieu thereof, and other emoluments. The colonel commandant was allowed two servants, 19 rations, forage for four horses, and 39J cords of wood for a total of $3,319.50. Also, he was furnished public quarters.
The 36 engineers—a new breed—came next, with one engineer-in-chief, four chief engineers, five first assistants, 13 second assistants, and 13 third assistants. Only five entered the service before 1840. Their gross pay ranged from $584.90 to $2,790.58 a year—the “Age of Steam” clearly had not reached its zenith. Then came 15 Navy agents, eight naval storekeepers, one chief naval constructor, four naval constructors, two agents for the inspection, testing and purchase of hemp, and six agents for the preservation of live oak timber.
The enlisted ratings (Navy only given) were yeomen, armorers, mates (master’s, boatswain’s, gunner’s, carpenter’s, sailmaker’s, and armorer’s), masters at arms, ship’s corporals, coxswains, quartermasters, quarter gunners, captains of forecastle (also tops, afterguard, and hold), coopers, painters, stewards (ship’s, officers’, and surgeon’s), cooks (ship’s and officers’), masters of the band, musicians (first and second class), seamen, ordinary seamen, landsmen, boys, firemen and coal heavers. Highest pay went to a yeoman in a ship-of- the-line ($40 a month), lowest to a boy ($6 to $8 a month).
The good old navy ration—valued at 20ff a day—contained one gill of spirits, for those over 21. If a person were under 21, the value of the spirit ration was credited to his account. Prize money was still authorized, and port was still larboard. And guns were still smoothbore muzzle loaders.
That was the “Old Navy.”