Can any naval history knowers tell me how navies (specifically USN and RN) corraled and policed on shore sailors before the adoption of formal shore patrol in the 20th century?Obviously Master of Arms dates back to the 18th century but how did they enforce discipline in port? Ships would have only 1 MAA and 1-2 Corporals at Arms so did they empower sailors to assist like SP or use marines? Even my extremely autistic encyclopedia of the age of sail Neson's Navy by Brian Laverty that provides extreme detail on every subject from the provisoning of ships, the purpose of every knot used aboard ship to the practicality of buggery at sea only states the basic duties of the MAA and that shore leave was only provided to a limited number of sailors at any one time.
>>64732281Marines were basically navy MPs back in the dayTheir primary job was enforcing order aboard the ship
>>64732281Just to be clear, even today it's not "formalized" really, it's just an inport watchbill. Marines were not used any more than Sailors, since they were also on liberty. It was typically the petty officers (which were closer to what we today would call warrant officers) the commissioned officers, sometimes the boatswains mates, the MA, and local constabulary.
