[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

Agreed that brass monkeys have nowt to do with cannonballs (I'm amazed that the myth still persists). However, Powder Monkeys do have everything to do with cannonballs - men as well as boys running and carrying supplies from the magazines below decks to the gunnnery crews on the decks above. There probably would have been a hundred or so of them involved on a major warship such as HMS Victory.

I'm quite sure that if these steps attracted young lads to fool around on some 160 years ago someone no doubt would have drawn a similarity to activity aboard a Nelsonian or later ship and hence conferred such a sobriquet.

The myth still persist because of Hollywood, showing pyramids of cannon balls on the main deck.
Cannon balls were kept in racks next to the guns on the gun decks, three men manned each gun. After the first shot swab the bore with a wet mop, drop in the powder charge (which was in a linen bag), then the ball and ram it home that split the bag of powder and acted as a patch to seal the bore, then these two would return the gun to battery, the gunlayer then cocks the frizen and primes the pan, or inserts the friction fuse, and gets hold of the lanyard ready to fire on command,
whilst the powder monkeys (young boys because of confined spaces) are continually coming up through the hatches from the magazine delivering more charges.
The gun decks also had to be kept wet to prevent any spilt powder being ignited, and the racks had to be kept filled with cannon balls.
These men would and also have to be battle ready to act as boarding parties.
They also had their other jobs when no battles were on.
Retlaw.