THE WESTERN SQUADRON of the CONTINENTAL NAVY 

Sailors

     Equipment for sailors varied dramatically. Typically sailors were extremely dirty and are noted to have smelled of pine tar. Which could usually be seen on their face, hands, and clothes, as they worked with it day in and day out and had little change of clothes from day to day. Most sea officers had uniforms, but those for the sailors were either from the ship's slop chest or simply clothes they brought with them, although some captain's did purchase uniforms for certain sailors and petty officers. Sailors did have a distinct style however, their jackets were short, as were the brims of their hats, and many wore no shoes due to safety hazards in the rigging. Weapons were technically property of the ship, but could be issued out to sailors when needed. The general equipment list is as follows, as each sailor was issued or probably had...

• 1 Boarding pike (half-pike about 8ft.) or boarding axes for carpenters.

• 1 boarding pistol and cutlass (RN, French, or American style).

• 1 musket or musketoon, as were issued out when needed. In the 1767 French or 1775 and prior  British pattern.

• 1 hat or monmouth cap, short brimmed, round, or tricorn. In felt or straw, tarred "tarpot" or tarpaulin hat from the slop chest.

• 2 shirts, one checked and one plain or off white, most likely linen. Or striped, knit sweater, in blue and white striped. Thin striped is French, thicker stripes are Royal Navy. Both could be seen in the Continental Navy. 

• 1 whaler's coat, essentially an overcoat or greatcoat that was waterproofed and made of oilcloth, with or without a hood. Typically brown or green and lined with canvas or linen. This would have been issued, but due to its construction is flammable so may be hard to find today.

• Trousers, breeches, or slop pants / petticoat trousers, typically white or off white in linen, osnaberg, or old sailcloth canvas.

• 1 neckerchief, commonly black, white, or red. The Continental Navy typically issued red, to tell friend from foe, as the RN used black, but not all sailors got the issue.

• 1 short jacket or sleeved waistcoat, similar to a workman's jacket, single or double breasted, wool, most common in red, blue, or grey.

• 2 pair stockings, made of wool, the most common colors were blue, white, or other solid colors.Though commonly not worn when working in the rigging.

• 1 pair shoes, probably tied rather than buckle, but most commonly not worn when working in the rigging.

• Cartridge boxes and canteens were had, but varied. Boxes were everything from improvised with wood and canvas to standard shoulder and belly boxes. Canteens were wooden, tin, or leather as per the style of the period,  but were simply personal preference.

• Special & misc. equipment like fids, topmens' knives, marlin spikes, etc. would be kept in sea bags until needed. Every sailor would have been issued a sea bag or sea chest, one to two pillows, one to two blankets and two hammock when coming aboard. Typically trade blankets are seen by use in the Navy in the West. Cabin blankets (in off-white, grey, or olive) are aslo correct. These are sometimes seen sewn together to make one, larger blanket. Market wallets, leather game bags and other style bags, and knapsacks are also correct, but were not issued. There is no evidence of haversacks in naval service however. Sailors aboard frigates were typically  allowed only about 14 to 18 inches to string their hammocks and about two and a half feet of personal space for trunks, etc. on board ship. When not sleeping in them, hammocks also provided extra storage space.