1794 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Basic Pay Charts
On March 27, 1794, Congress exercised its power under Article I, Section Eight of the Constitution, "To provide and maintain a Navy," and passed the Naval Act of 1794 (or "An Act to provide a naval armament"), authorizing the President of the United States, then George Washington, to "provide,…, equip and employ…" six frigates that were eventually named: UNITED STATES, CONSTELLATION, CONSTITUTION, PRESIDENT, CONGRESS, and CHESAPEAKE.
And with the creation of the United States' first standing Navy came the first United States Navy salaries and daily rations.
Note: The pay rates reflected were in effect from 1794 until 1799 for Captains, Lieutenants, and Sailing-Masters. Their rates were modified in 1799 in order to take into account the smaller ships that were being added to the fleet. The rates for the remaining Crew-members remained in effect until 1814:
1794-1814 Petty Officer Pay Chart
| Position | *Total Manning | Monthly Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Master's Mate | 12 | Fixed by the President and not to exceed $27,000 per month total for the six frigates combined. For the 1970 people that fell under this provision, this would average around $13.70 per person per month (some jobs received a little more, and some a little less). Additionally, each Servicemember was alloted one single ration per day. |
| Captain's Clerk | 6 | |
| Boatswain's Mate | 12 | |
| Cockswain | 6 | |
| Sail-Maker's Mate | 6 | |
| Gunner's Mate | 12 | |
| Yeoman of the Gun Room | 6 | |
| Quarter-Gunner | 62 | |
| Carpenter's Mate | 12 | |
| Armorer | 6 | |
| Steward | 6 | |
| Coopers (barrel maker) | 6 | |
| Master-at-Arms | 6 | |
| Cook | 6 | |
| Additional Manning | ||
| Position | *Total Manning | |
| Seaman | 860 | |
| Ordinary Seamen | 592 | |
| Drum | 6 | |
| Fife | 6 | |
| Marines | ||
| Position | *Total Manning | |
| Sergeant | 6 | |
| Corporal | 8 | |
| Marine | 280 | |
| Position | *Total Manning | Rations per Day | Monthly Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sailing-Master | 12 | 2 | $40 |
| Purser | 6 | 2 | $40 |
| Boatswain | 12 | 2 | $14 |
| Gunner | 6 | 2 | $14 |
| Sail-Maker | 6 | 2 | $14 |
| Carpenter | 12 | 2 | $14 |
| Midshipman | 48 | 1 | ** |
** The Midshipman's pay was distributed from the same $27,000 budget alloted for the Petty Officers.
| Position | *Total Manning | Rations per Day | Monthly Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | 6 | 6 | $75 |
| Lieutenant | 22 | 3 | $40 |
| Lieutenant of Marines | 6 | 2 | $26 |
| Chaplain | 6 | 2 | $40 |
| Surgeon | 6 | 2 | $50 |
| Surgeon's Mate | 10 | 2 | $35 |
*The total manning numbers listed equals the total number of men, 2062, alloted to fully man the United States Navy's fleet of six frigates.
Effective March 27, 1794.
