1st Class Ship’s Boy or Powder Monkey

Boys, like this one aboard the U.S.S. New Hampshire, were called powder monkeys because they ran bags of gunpowder from the stores below deck to the gun crews, moving with speed and agility. These boy assistants, as young as 10 years old, slept in hammocks below the gun decks. They were selected for their job because of their speed and height – short so they would be hidden behind the ship’s gunwale, keeping them from being shot by enemy ships’ sharp shooters. - See more at: http://acrossthevalleytodarkness.com/1st-class-ships-boy-or-powder-...