A seaman’s life was hard

Press, 19 October 1976, Page 12

A seaman’s life was hard

A seaman in Nelson's time had a hard life and often went to sea when he was as young as 12 years old. In time of war he might be rounded up in the streets -by cruel press gangs and forced on to a ship without a word to his family. Once on board there was no chance of escape. It might be several years before his parents heard of him again — that is, if he survived wars, attacks by pirates, and illness.

His pay was very low and was not handed over until the ship was paid off, usually after years of service. And he was not given shore leave when

his ship was in port in case he deserted.

He worked long hours with little rest. Ships in those days had high masts and sails and he had to climb up into the rigging, far above the deck, and spread the sails-' to the wind or furl them when the breezes were strong. It was dangerous and many fell to their death, particularly in rough weather. He was nearly always hungry for he was given meagre food rations. He ate rice and peas, and also salt pork and salt beef which were frequently bad. Without fresh fruit or vegetables he tended to fall sick and many sailors died.

He ate and slept on the lower decks, which were evil-smelling and unhealthy. Sailors were crammed together and a man could scarcely stand upright. The crews in Nelson’s time had to be large in order to handle the sails but the ships were small.

The captain of a ship exercised great power and a good one did his best for the men and treated them fairly. However, a stern captain flogged a seaman for disobeying orders, and on occasions beat him to death.

In sea battles a boy played an important role.

Known as a “powder monkey,” he had to carry the charges of gunpowder which were kept in the hold, deep down in the ship, and bring them up to the men who fired the guns.

Life at sea was indeed tough. But there were compensations. A seaman tasted adventure and had a chance to test his courage in war. And if he served under a good captain, he would be kindly treated. His fate could well be worse on land, for in those days there were many poor and halfstarved people who had to perform dreary and heavy tasks in the big cities.