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Life at Sea:
Sea Shanties |
Down Easters and other early square-rigged ships had no steam or electric power to operate winches, capstans and pumps. Work had to be done by the crew, using the mechanical advantage provided by leverage and gears. Jobs requiring teamwork were accompanied by shanties: the work songs of the sea.
Sea shanties were sung by sailors to help them synchronize their efforts. There were different kinds for different kinds of work. Some had a “call and response” form that helped haul the halyards or pull in a sheet. For these halyard shanties, the shantyman sang the verse, and all of the crew, pulling together, sang the choruses. The capstan shanties were longer songs designed to keep up spirits and tempo while raising the anchor. These shanties usually had more melody and often came from popular songs ashore. As they were sung, the seamen heaved, or pushed, on the capstan bars, turning the capstan and bringing in the anchor. Our movies demonstrate hauling up the halyard and the use of sea shanties.
We know that shanties were common aboard American ships in the 1830s, when Richard Henry Dana went to sea. He described them in his book, Two Years Before the Mast. (see Resource List.)
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