Hullo, time for the Most Retarded Question Ever...

[themeletor]

Major brainfart over here, liek whoah. So, humor me if you please, and...

can a lieutenant have seniority aboard a ship yet still be younger than his junior officer(s)? not saying he's at the top of the ladder, just... a few rungs up. and fragmentationally (oh that is SO a word; shut up) younger than ... the rungs beneath him.

Ee?

Comments

[melusina]

The way I understand it, a midshipman is an officer who hasn't passed the lieutenant's exam. So if someone was very clever and able, he might pass it and become a lieutenant before other midshipman who were older, but having more difficulties with the exam. . .

[meletor-et-al.livejournal.com]

thank you. that's just what was lurking waiting to smack me on the head...

*phew* I shall wait to kick myself until after writing.

[duckgirlie.livejournal.com]

Yes. Some midshipmen never pass the lieutenant's exam.

[meletor-et-al.livejournal.com]

I so knew that...

.::hides in rock::.

but my question was ... ah, it's answered anyway. may or may not eat this post, as it's now unnecessary.

[daughtermestizo.livejournal.com]

Well it seems you have your answers, but just for a third opinion, yeah, it's possible. If you're good, you're good.

Or at least that's what I've learned from reading Hornblower and such. They're supposed to be historically accurate!

[captain-molly.livejournal.com]

I'd go with a yes on that one.

[ima-pseudonym.livejournal.com]

Horatio Hornblower did. *amused shrug*

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. The key is the date you became a lieutenant (or a captain), not how old you were. The British Navy was all about seniority. If you had more years than all the other lieuts, you were First, automatically.

So a 25 year old who'd passed his exams at 18 (the youngest most of them could manage it, since you needed to have been at sea 6 years before you could even try) could have seniority over a 30 year old didn't pass his until he was 24.

[meletor-et-al.livejournal.com]

See, that's exactly the answer I was fishing for. And? I so. Knew it. Bah! But thank you, and I think I must've pulled a few too many all-nighters writing and redpenning -- stupid navyboys getting all... drunk and... stupid. Stupid! ...ok let's face it; I'm just a dork. *shrug*

(what I did find, actually, was that the usual rule was that one could not go for examination until nineteen, but, yanno, the 'appears to be' excuse was at times employed if one had friends in high, brocade-y places)

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

Oh, BTW, your copy of "Jack Absolute" arrived in the mail today. You'll have to come over and pick it up one of these days.

[pinkparisian.livejournal.com]

*appoints herself admiral Kumquat?*

[meletor-et-al.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHAH.

right, PS7. soon as I get home from chauffering.