Synopses & Reviews
Boys at Sea is a study of homoerotic life in the Royal Navy during the age of sail. It deals not only with sex among ordinary crewmen, but reveals that the most consistent feature of prosecutions for sodomy and indecency involved officers forcing their attentions on ships' boys. The book traces every feature of sexuality at sea, and provides a probing look at a dark and terrifying aspect of the lives of youngsters who served in Britain's warships.
Synopsis
Boys at Sea is a study of homoerotic life in the Royal Navy during the age of sail. The book traces every feature of sexual life at sea, including seduction, rape, prostitution, courts martial, and the punishments meted out to those convicted of violating the stern moral code set down in the Articles of War .
Synopsis
A study of homoerotic life on board ships in the Royal Navy in the age of fighting sail.
About the Author
B.R. BURG is Professor of History at Arizona State University. He is the author of numerous books and articles on seafarers and sexuality in the age of sail.
Table of Contents
Introduction * Law, Literature, Sodomy, and Royal Navy Officers * Regulating Sodomy in the Pre-Nelson Navy * Ratings with Ratings, Ratings with Boys * Officers and Boys at Sea * Warrant Officers, Petty Officers, and their Boys * Sodomy, Indecency, and
HMS Africaine * The Last Sex Court Martial * Notes * Works Cited