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A Modest, and Historically Apt, Proposal
Nov. 2nd, 2005 07:28 pmWhat with the recent 200th anniversary of Trafalgar, a lot of attention has been paid of late to the customs and traditions of the Royal Navy of Nelson's era. Now, as anyone who reads Patrick O'Brian will know, one such custom was the payment of 'prize money' to the captain and crew of a ship that seized an enemy vessel. The scheme of payment varied, but a ship's captain could, if everything worked out, take a quarter or more of the prize's value.
I mention this because HMS Cumberland has been in the news recently after her crew seized drugs with a street value of £200,000,000. If I was CO Cumberland I'd certainly be sending a signal to the First Sea Lord respectfully suggesting that in the spirit of Trafalgar 200, one more old custom should be resurrected...
It would probably be argued that the prize system only works if the prize has a legally marketable value. However, a bit more digging shows that in the early nineteenth century, the Royal Navy paid prize money in respect of the capture of slave ships so as to encourage suppression of the slave trade. If we take that as precedent, then a scheme where HMG pays, say, 1% of the street value of drugs seized to the crew of the ship involved should prove a wonderful incentive to further such engagements; £2M would go a long way amongst the complement of a T22 frigate.
I also found an interesting analysis of the motivational benefit of the prize system in the context of the social structure of Nelson's navy - well worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.
I mention this because HMS Cumberland has been in the news recently after her crew seized drugs with a street value of £200,000,000. If I was CO Cumberland I'd certainly be sending a signal to the First Sea Lord respectfully suggesting that in the spirit of Trafalgar 200, one more old custom should be resurrected...
It would probably be argued that the prize system only works if the prize has a legally marketable value. However, a bit more digging shows that in the early nineteenth century, the Royal Navy paid prize money in respect of the capture of slave ships so as to encourage suppression of the slave trade. If we take that as precedent, then a scheme where HMG pays, say, 1% of the street value of drugs seized to the crew of the ship involved should prove a wonderful incentive to further such engagements; £2M would go a long way amongst the complement of a T22 frigate.
I also found an interesting analysis of the motivational benefit of the prize system in the context of the social structure of Nelson's navy - well worth a look if you're into that sort of thing.
