This website contains a collection of journal entries from various Midshipmen, the most junior rank of officer in the Royal Navy. It is an ongoing project, with a goal of adding 4 new entries a month.
Midshipmen journals were kept by young officers as part of their training and were regularly checked by their supervising officer and the captain of the ship they were assigned to. The purpose of the journals was to train midshipmen in observation, expression and orderliness, and they were required to record their observations about all matters of interest of importance in the work that was carried out, on their stations, in their fleet, or in their ship, and illustrate them with plans and sketches.
Each journal entry on the site is dated as of the original journal entry. While the digital form does little justice to the penmanship of the original Midshipman, it is my hope that it will make the words accessible to readers. Each entry is reproduced as accurately as possible. At the end of some entries, you will find the two types of notes.
As required the journal was reviewed by a supervising officer and occasionally the captain. I have omitted most of the spelling corrections, instead focusing on the more substantial input of the officer. The supervising officer notes will appear like this, at the bottom of the journal entry, in red, a much loved
On a few occasions, I have also added my own research notes, with links to other resources, and personal stories. These notes will appear in dark green box, like this.
Commenting on each journal entry is allowed by you the reader. These will be moderated to make sure that they add to the overall value of this site.