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Life at Sea:
Work at Sea |
Watches
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To sail the ship day and night, the crew was broken into two watches: the port or larboard watch and the starboard watch. The first mate was in charge of the larboard watch, the second in charge of the starboard watch. Each watch lasted four hours. They began at midnight, 4:00am, 8:00am, noon, 4:00pm, and 8:00pm. Even though watches continued through the day, all hands worked from noon to 4:00 pm maintaining the ship.
Before clocks, ship’s time was kept with a half hour sand glass and a bell rung at the turning of the glass. A ship's clock did the same. It rang eight bells at the change of the watch. It then rang one bell for each half hour after that, but in pairs. For example, at 2:30, five bells would sound: ding-ding, ding-ding, ding. Listen to this ship's clock.
On American ships it was common to alternate watches daily, breaking one four hour watch period in half. These dog watches ran from 4:00 to 6:00 pm and from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. The 4:00 watch had light duty—just steering and handling ship as needed. Supper was served to the off watch towards 6:00 and then at 6:00 the off going watch ate, with the new watch taking over the ship.
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Ship Operations
Hauling in, or weighing, a 4,000 pound ship’s anchor required hard work and mechanical advantage. In the early to mid-nineteenth century, anchors were weighed with a windlass, a large, horizontal drum with ratchets on it. The drum turned as the arms of the windlass went up and down. A simple vertical-axis capstan was also used, and by the late nineteenth century it had developed into an iron two-speed geared machine that made bringing in the anchor much easier. Sailors got leverage by pushing its long capstan bars or handspikes.
Watch this short demonstration of working the capstan at Penobscot Marine Museum. If at anchor at the beginning of a voyage, the ship’s sails would be set, ready to catch the wind, before the anchor was completely raised. On a square-rigged Down Easter, there were usually fifteen to eighteen square sails. Some were set by climbing into the rigging, untying gasket lines that held the furled sails to the yards, then letting buntlines go to allow the sail to drop.
Other sails required the yard to be pulled or hauled part way up the mast with the halyard, the line used to “haul the yard” up the mast. The fore-and-aft sails, including jibs, staysails, and spanker, were also raised with halyards. Our movie clip demonstrates furling the sails and tying them up to the yards with gasket lines.
Lines to the sails’s corners and yards controlled the sails. Sheets pulled down the lower corners of the sails; braces set the proper angle of the yard and the sail to the wind.
Sailors steered the ship, taking their orders from the mates. On larger ships, there were sometimes two wheels, so that more men could steer in bad weather. In a bad storm, the ship’s planking might open, letting seawater into the hull. Some ships were old and leaked even in calm weather. Seamen had to pump water out of the hold. This could be a terrifying job: sailors might be pumping for their lives, trying to keep up with the leaks.
Ship Maintenance
Ship maintenance was part of every seaman’s life. Water created rust and rot, and the ship’s constant motion chafed rope and canvas. The crew washed and cleaned the decks; and sanded and painted wood where old paint was beginning to chip. They made sure all shackles holding blocks and lines were secure and checked rope splices. They had to maintain the capstan or windlass and the pumps; renew chafing gear; repair and tar the standing rigging; varnish woodwork; and repair sails. Major storm damage was repaired at sea if possible.
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