Deployment of ships and men, 1792–1813

The Admiralty List Books (TNA, ADM 8) show the location of the Royal Navy's ships. They consist of tables for each station showing the name of each ship, her rate and her complement, which are then abstracted into tables showing the numbers of each rate and type of unrated vessel, and their complements.

They were collated monthly until 1810, and six-monthly thereafter until the series finishes in 1813. The following tables are abstracted from the List Books and show the total number of men present on the East Indies and Mediterranean stations, in the Caribbean, in North American waters, the Channel Fleet and in home waters in July each year. Prior to 1807 there is no detail on ships’ precise whereabouts, but after that date fuller details are given for ships in home waters and for the first time vessels are listed at particular ports, i.e. Portsmouth, Plymouth, Yarmouth, Leith, Cork. Also, operating areas such as ‘Off Texel and the Scheldt’ appear. These are aggregated in the tables below, as explained in the notes.

The full data from which these tables were assembled can be found in the Sustaining the Fleet project database (www.nmm.ac.uk). The total numbers of ships and men on each station and in each place were sampled for January, April, July and October for every year from 1792 to 1809, and January and July thereafter. Approximate numbers of soldiers to be victualled are also presented for relevant stations.