Crews' Prize Bounty

Levin Daily Chronicle, 8 March 1917, Page 1

Crews' Prize Bounty

-MONEY TALES OF THE NAVY'S SILENT WORK. Between March 27 and December 31 claims for bounty were heard in the British Prize Cotirt for the destruction of twenty-three enemy ships. The total bounty awarded was £40,935, awards ranging from £135 to £12,160. The total awarded indicated 8187 officere and men on board the enemy vessels at the beginning of the engagements in which they were either captured or destroyed. The highest award was £12,160 in respect of the sinking of four German warships in the Falkland Islands battle.

Not the least of the daring submarine exploits to come before tho Court tva:, the destruction in the Sea of Marmora and the Dardanelles of three Turkish warships by Ell with a. loss of 866 men to the enemy. The bounty awarded was £4330, and in the scale of sharing the commander (Captain Erie Niasmith received £580 lis. Other officers each received £306 6s 6d, and each able seamon £76 'Is 6d. This was one of the largest share-outs. of bounty during the year to individual crews. "When men lose their lives in the capture or destruction of enemy warships the bounty award is given to the next of kin. In comparison with ithese modern' awards it is interesting to recall that after the battle of Trafalgar, Nelson received £18,517 13s 6d as his share of bounty, and that his four subordinate admirals (Oollingwood, Northesk, John Knight and Thomas Louis) each received £4629 8s 4d. But Parliament thought the prize bounty insufficient recompense, and voted £300,000 for the fleet.