PRIZE, PRIZE-MONEY (ante). The main causes for condemniug a ship whose nationality is doubtful are the want, falsification, or destruction of the ship's papers; suspicious conduct of the ship's officers, or their refusal or inability to give a satisfactory account of the ship or cargo. A ship is presumed to belong to the nation whose flag it carries. Where a capture is made by'one ship belonging to a squadron, all ships belong ing to the squadron are entitled to share in the prize, whether they were in sight or not; and all ships of war unattached to a squadron share in a prize made by another ship of war in sight. Formerly captors secured title by keeping possession of the captured property 24 hours, and recaptors of it after that time got an absolute ownership. At present recaptors have only a right to salvage. It is doubtful if the crew of a vessel who recapture it before it is condemned are entitled to salvage. In the United States they are probably not so entitled. By the U. S. neutrality laws, established 1793, no armed vessel .of a foreign belligerent is allowed to follow a vessel of another belligerent out of a U. S. harbor within 24 hours.
Prize-money is distributed iu the United States in accordance with the provisions of the act of June 30, 1864, sec. 10. This statute directs that where the prize is equal or superior in force to the capturing vessel or vessels, the captors shall have the whole; where it is inferior in force, the captors shall have half, and the United States the other half. In the cases of letters of marque and privateers, the captors shall have the whole, unless otherwise .stipulated in the commissions issued to such vessels. Prize-money decreed to captors shall be distributed in the following order: 1. To the officer commanding the fleet or squadron of the prize-money decreed to any vessel under his immediate command. 2. To the commanding officer of a division of a fleet or squadron on duty under orders of the commander-in-chief of such fleet or squadron, a sum equal to A- of the prize-money awarded to any vessel of his division for a capture made while under his command, said to be deducted from the + due the United States, if such be due, and if not, from the sum decreed to the cap tors. Said is not to be added to the share such commander may be entitled to, and
may take, instead, as commander of a single vessel, making or aiding in the capture. 3. To the fleet captain part of all prize-money decreed to any vessel or vessels in the squadron to which he is attached, unless the capture be made by the vessel to which he is attached when such capture is made. In that case he is to share, in proportion to his pay, with the other officers and men serving on such ship, according to subse quent provisions. 4. To the commander of a single vessel, of all prize-money decreed to such vessel under his command, if sucb vessel, at the time the capture was made, were under the command of the commanding officer of a fleet, squadron, or division, and A if such vessel were not under the command of such superior officer, but acted independently. 5. After the deductions above mentioned, the residue shall be distributed in proportion among all those on duty (including the fleet captain), on board, and put on the ship's books proportionate to their respective rates of pay in the service. No commanding officer of a fleet or squadron is entitled to any share iu a prize captured by any vessel or vessels not under his command, nor in any prize made by any vessel or vessels, which it was intended to place under his com mand, but which, at the time the capture was made, were not actually under his orders. No commanding officer of a fleet or squadron, who has left the station where lie manded, shall be entitled to Any share in such prizes as may be•made remaining in the station where he commanded, after he has left such station, nor after the command of such station has been assumed by his successor. No officer or other person, temporarily absent on duty from a vessel upon whose books his name remains, during his absence shall be deprived, on account of such absence, of any prize-money to which he would otherwise be entitled; but shall share in all prizes matte by the vessel to which he is attached, until he is regularly discharged. See BLOCKADE, CONTRABAND, NEUTRAL ITY, PRIVATEER.