Well, here's a gumdrop of knowledge for you.
If you read about age of sail engagements, the British accounts always say that the Spanish and French ships had piles of dead and wounded on deck. Also, you can read the same sort of description in CS Forester, Patrick O'Brien, Douglas Reeman, eh al.
The reason for this was the Royal Navy taught their sailors to throw dead men over the side, during combat.
The bodies got in the way and seeing all the casualties was disheartening.
The Spanish and French did not have this policy. So iN a battle, their decks were covered with dead.
The reason was that those navys would not issue a certificate of death without the body.
For the widows to receive any compensation, or to remarry, they had to have the death certified.
"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell." - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side." Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.
