ship date and date on shore

[Redfish]

I have a question regarding ship date and shore date. I know that at the time, there was half a day difference between the two, as the ship day changed at Noon.

According to Duncan's report on the battle of Camperdown he dispatched the Rose cutter at three PM on the 12th (11th), immediately after the action was ended. The action commenced about forty minutes past twelve.
According to the prize money notice on 10-02-1798 (Gazette), the Dutch ships were captured on the 11th (October 1797).
According to HMS Circe's log the action commenced 12th (PM).

From this information I am to understand that the ship date changed half a day SOONER than the shore date. Yet from 'Nelson's Navy' (by Brian Lavery), Part IX chapter 2 (the ship's day) under "The Daylight Hours" Lavery writes (reprint 2003, p. 202): "Until 1805, the ship's day officially began at noon, half a day
behind Greenwich time".

So now I am slightly confused, especially considering Lavery's expertise on naval history. Was the ship date half a day behind or ahead compared to the date on (English) shore?

Danni

[PMarione]

I think that Lavery is wrong here.

The day on board started at noon (the time of the sighting) ans so was 12 hours before shore time. The ships' logs dated 12th October AM are then for the 11th October shore time.
It would not have made sense to start the day behind.

In the "Logs of Great Sea Fights" the French fleet is sighted at about half past 2 on the 1st of August and that's the 1st entry in the logs for that day. It was 14:30 in modern military time.

I have no idea when the custom disappeared (sometime around 1805).

The life on board was counted in "watches" and started at midnight.

@+P

[Redfish]

Thank you for your response. I do not fully understand it, though, as you say:

[PMarione]

The ship's log for the 12th is from noon the 11st shore time till noon - 1 sec on the 12th shore time, then the ship's log is for the 13th ie 12th on shore.

@+P