It may not be out of place here to show the dangers of naval warfare,
which are discussed at length by Mr. Hodge, in a very elaborate paper in
the eighteenth volume of the Statistical Society's journal. From one of
his tables, containing a condensed statistical history of the English
navy, through the wars with France, 1792-1815, the following facts are
gathered.
During those wars, the British Parliament, in its several annual grants,
voted 2,527,390 men for the navy. But the number actually in the service
is estimated not to have exceeded 2,424,000 in all, or a constant
average force of 110,180 men. Within this time these men fought five
hundred and seventy-six naval battles, and they were exposed to storms,
to shipwreck, and to fire, in every sea. In all these exposures, the
records show that the loss of life was less than was suffered by the
soldiers on the land. There were--
Killed in battle, officers, . . . 346
" " men, . . . 4,441
------
Total, 4,787
Wounded, officers, . . . . 935
" men, . . . . 13,335
------
Total, 14,270
Drowned and otherwise destroyed in
battle, . . . . . . 449
Estimated deaths among the wounded, 1,427
Total destroyed by battle, . . . 6,663
Lost by shipwreck, accidental drowning
and by fire, . . . . . 13,621
Total deaths, from other causes than
disease, . . . . . . 20,284
Comparing the whole number of men in the naval service, during this
period, with the mortality from causes incidental to the service, the
average annual loss was--
Killed in battle, . . . . one in 506, or .197 per cent.
Drowned and lost in battle, and died
of wounds . . . . . one in 1,292, or .077 per cent.
Wounded, . . . . . one in 169, or .588 per cent.
Drowned and lost by shipwreck, fire,
etc., otherwise than by battle, . one in 178, or .561 per cent.
Total annual loss by battle and the
special dangers of the sea, . . one in 119, or .836 per cent.
TABLE II.--BATTLES BETWEEN FLEETS OR SQUADRONS
BRITISH.
Guns
Date. Place. Ships. Broadside. Men.
1782, April 12, West Indies 36 1,315 21,608
1794, June 1, English Channel 26 1,087 17,241
1795, March 14, Genoa 14 557 8,810
1797, February 14, Cape St. Vincent 15 620 9,508
" October 11, Camperdown 16 575 8,221
1798, August 1, Nile 14 507 7,985
1801, July 12, Algeziras 5 188 3,100
1805, July 22, Cape Finisterre 15 596 10,500
" October 21, Trafalgar 27 1,074 16,826
" November 4, Bay of Biscay 9 262 4,186
1806, February 6, San Domingo 7 257 4,094
1811, March 12, Lissa 4 59 886
" May 20, Madagascar 4 73 903
--- ----- -------
192 7,170 113,863
TABLE II.--BATTLES BETWEEN FLEETS OR SQUADRONS (cont.)
BRITISH. ENEMY.
Killed. Wounded.
Number. Per 1000. Number. Per 1000.
West Indies 250 11 810 37 French.
English Channel 290 16 858 47 do.
Genoa 71 8 266 30 do.
Cape St. Vincent 73 7 227 29 Spanish.
Camperdown 203 24 622 75 Dutch.
Nile 218 27 678 84 French.
Algeziras 18 6 102 33 French and Spanish.
Cape Finisterre 39 3 159 15 do.
Trafalgar 449 26 1241 73 do.
Bay of Biscay 24 5 111 26 French.
San Domingo 74 1.8 264 64 do.
Lissa 44 49 144 162 French and Italian.
Madagascar 25 27 89 98 French.
---- ---- ---- -----
1778 15.6 5571 48.9
TABLE III.--BATTLES BETWEEN BRITISH AND AMERICAN SHIPS.
BRITISH. Loss.
Guns
Duration broad-
Date. of action. Ship. side. Men. Killed. Wounded. Casualties.
Number. Per
H. M. 1000.
1812, August. 19, 1 55 Guerrière 24 244 15 63 78 320
" September 17, 43 Frolic 9 92 15 47 62 674
" October 25, 2 40 Macedonian 24 254 31 64 95 374
" December 20, 3 Java 24 379 22 102 124 379
1813, February 14, 25 Peacock 9 110 4 33 37 336
" June 1, 15 Shannon 25 306 24 59 83 271
" August 12, 45 Pelican 9 101 2 5 7 69
1814, August 27, 45 Reindeer 9 98 25 41 66 673
1815, January 15, 5 58 Endymion 24 319 11 14 25 78
--- ----- --- --- --- ---
157 1,903 149 428 577 303
TABLE III.--BATTLES BETWEEN BRITISH AND AMERICAN SHIPS. (cont.)
AMERICAN.
Guns.
Ship. Broadside. Men. Killed and wounded.
Number. Per 1000.
1812, August. 19, Constitution 28 460 20 43
" September 17, Wasp 9 135 16 119
" October 25, United States 28 474 6 13
" December 20, Constitution 28 480 34 71
1813, February 14, Hornet 10 162 5 31
" June 1, Chesapeake 25 376 146 389
" August 12, Argus 10 122 24 397
1814, August 27, Wasp 11 173 26 150
1815, January 15, President 28 465 105 226
--- ----- --- ---
177 2,847 382 133
Mr. Hodge's second table shows the conditions and casualties of thirteen
battles between fleets and squadrons. This is condensed and quoted on
the preceding page.
His third table includes thirty-five actions with single ships on each
side, between the years 1793 and 1815. 8,542 men were engaged, and 483,
or 56.5 per 1,000, were killed, and 1,230, or 144 per 1,000, wounded.
Twenty-six of these actions were with French ships, which are here
omitted, and nine with American ships, which are shown in the second
table on the preceding page.
There is a very remarkable difference in the loss which the British
suffered in naval and in land battles:--
No. of Vessels. Killed. Wounded.
Battles One in One in
13 Fleets.............. 64.0 20.4
35 Single ships........ 17.7 6.9
28 French single ships. 19.8 10.6
9 American do. do. .. 12.7 4.4
19 Land battles........ 30.0 11.0
The danger both of wounds and death in these contests was three times as
great in the single ships as in fleets, and about five times as great in
battles with the Americans as in fleet-battles with other nations. The
dangers in fleet-battles were about half as great as those in
land-battles, and these were but little more than half as great as those
in fights with single ships.