|
Crew
The crew of Lady Washington consisted of about ten or twelve men. That may sound like a rather small number, but consider the fact that the deck space was only about 68' by 22' (20.73m by 6.7m) and mostly taken up with mast, deck, tiller, cannon and cleats.
There were the common seamen who were responsible for the practical sailing of the Lady and making sure she was fit and seaworthy. Not much is known of them, but they were crucial to the voyage and the vessel. The crew did seem to like leaving the nasty or dangerous tasks to the officers. Several times, the mates had to take care of various catastrophes because the crew refused to risk an attempt.
The Lady also had a carpenter/sailmaker. He was the one who made sure all the sails were working, and repaired various related aspects of the vessel. He would also have overseen the conversion of the sloop into a brig and might have even assisted in the practical planning of the enterprise. In 1791 the carpenter was Thomas Foster and sailmaker William Bowles. It is unknown if they were in the original crew.
We do not know if the Lady carried a blacksmith, caulker, cooper, or gunner but they would have been common to the time. She carried so many cannon that it is most probable that a gunner would have been employed -- although both captains in the Northwest expedition had extensive experience with cannon. There is a record of James Crawford as a gunner on the vessel's late voyages.
The cook was, arguably, the most important person on a vessel. No-one, not even Kendrick, would dare oppose him. By one sailor he was described as, "the patron of the crew" (Dana 16). Unfortunately, the cook employed on the Lady did not understand the importance of scurvy prevention.
The captain would also have had a personal steward. His was an awkward position, for he was not trusted by the crew and almost on a servant level to the officers. On the Lady, Kendrick's servant, Marcus Lopius, seemed to be well liked by both the first and second mates. The three of them went off on various outings together, but unfortunately Lopius got a trifle carried away and was killed.
Since so little is known of the crew there are many I have left out, but though their names and positions have been swept away by history, we know they must have existed and can honour their courage and contributions just the same.
Back to People
|
 Photo of Ryan Faulkner
|
