John Blackshoe Sends: Serendipity History –

Sailors and Ships in the Age of Sail (Part 1 of 3)

An Iconic Image- Four Seamen aloft in a Gale

“No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into jail; for being in a ship is being in jail with the chance of being drowned. A man in a jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company.“

According to noted British man of letters Samuel Johnson about 1759.

Hizzoner Neptunus Lex used most of that quote in a commentary on chronic problems with the heads [toilets for you landlubbers] aboard USS GEORGE H. W. BUSH (CVN-77). But, for all his many wonderful qualities, Lex was an aviator, or “Brown Shoe” not really a sailor.

Samuel Johnson was a landlubber, not a sailor and never fell under the lure of the sea. Another Brit, John Masefield (1878-1967) heard the syrens’ song and waxed poetic in 1902 with:

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea’s face and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

Source

The life at sea, perhaps not exactly as dreamt of by Masefield, is displayed in an epic photograph, which has been published a number of times.

Sailing Vessel Garthsnaid, 1920, outbound from Chile to Mozambique.

Source: State Library of Victoria [Australia]

A sharper 2914 x 1600 pixel version is available and a great screen saver.

That is the epitome of sailors and ships in the age of sail. It was a scene repeated thousands of times all over the world for thousands of years as man’s sea travel depended on wind, ships and sailors.

Ships were propelled by the wind since at least 800 BC. Steam ships emerged in the early 19th century, gradually replacing sailing ships until the latter were a rarity by the First World War, and virtually extinct by the start of the second.

Steam was created by burning wood, then coal and eventually oil to heat water in boilers. The steam was piped to large cylinders pushing pistons, connected to a crankshaft to make rotary motion, turning paddle wheels amidships, or later by screw propellers at the stern. In 1897, Briton Charles Parsons revolutionized ship propulsion with his “Turbina” using steam turbines instead of reciprocating cylinders. In the mid 20th century, ADM Rickover and his nuke acolytes used magic tea kettles to generate steam, but the steam turbines remained the same. Some time later, ships eliminated the steam generation side of propulsion with its large and heavy boilers, piping, and feedwater requirements, by using jet turbines where combustion gases turned the turbines instead of steam. But, enough about mechanical claptraps, we are here to worship wind power.

Source

There are many beautiful images by marine artists depicting the beauty, power, majesty or vastness of the sea and sailing ships. Like this wonderful 10’ x 7’ monster by Charles R. Patterson painted in 1933 as a mural aboard a Grace Line steamer. This depicts the 218 foot 1,893 ton ship W.R. Grace circa 1880 signaling a passing ship “Report me well” which was a way to convey location and status reports in the pre-radio days. This alone is worth a visit to the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine near the eponymous shipyard which carries on the tradition of “Bath built is best built.”

But, the photograph above captures the harsh reality of life at sea in the age of sail far more than a beautiful painting. We see the complexity of a sailing ship, with masts, yards, sails, stays, shrouds, halyards, gaskets, gunnels, scuppers and other bits and pieces with weird names, but very specific purposes.

Ships are nothing without their crews. Nearly all ships in the age of sail had no power other than the wind, Light below decks was sunlight transmitted through glass “deck lights” or candles or oil lamps, risky items on a wooden ship. There was no ventilation to remove the stank of filthy humans, poor food, poor sanitation and the added odor and filth from live animals carried for food as there was no refrigeration. Fresh water was a precious commodity, carried in casks, and reserved for drinking or cooking, not bathing. Bathing was with seawater, or rain squalls, as was laundry for the sailor’s limited wardrobe.

Civilian crews were small, signed for a voyage from whoever was available and willing, varying in age from teenagers to much older men who chose a life at sea. Crews often came from all over the world, speaking their native tongue. Wages were poor, offset some by the opportunity for travel and adventure. Each man’s life and safe return to port depended on the skill, dedication, and performance of the whole crew.

Deaths or horrible injuries were common, with medical treatment limited to what the Captain might be able to do with a medical kit and small booklet of symptoms and treatments.

The photograph and added background on life at sea raises several questions:

• “What kind of crazy people did that sort of stuff?”
• “Those four guys are crazy, but who the heck was taking the photo?”
• “What happened to this ship and these people?”

Google Lens is great for tracking down image sources, and came up with several sources with varied information. The earliest version (the source from Australia) is the one above with the full yardarm visible. This is the sailing vessel Garthsnaid.

Another later version, (from New Zealand) is cropped removing some of the yard, but has a very detailed description:

“On board the ship `Garthsnaid' at sea, 1920, showing unidentified sailors, possibly Frank Newington and Frank Bishop on the right, securing a section of the foresail which had come free from the gaskets in heavy weather.

Photographed by Alexander Harper Turner, acting second mate on the `Garthsnaid.' This copy negative, and inscription, by David Alexander De Maus. Inscriptions: bottom left - "Garthsnaid." This photograph was taken between 24 April and 26 July 1920 when the `Garthsnaid' was on passage from Iquique, Chile, to Delagoa (now Maputo) Bay, Mozambique with a cargo of nitrate. At the time the photographer was 19 years old and had been acting second mate from February 1920. He took the photograph from the jibboom end with a camera he had bought in Iquique, Chile. (information from `The Grain Races 1920-,' Basil Greenhill and John Hackman, Conway Maritime Press, London, 1986, page 117, and Sue Turner granddaughter of Alexander Turner). Note that the State Library of Victoria, Australia, identifies Allan C Green (1878-1954) as the photographer of this image. They hold a glass negative of the photograph, with more visible on the left hand side. Quantity: 1 b&w copy negative(s). Physical Description: Glass negative Processing information: Possible identification of two figures 8 August 2023, following information provided by a researcher.”

Another tidbit comes from the International Journal of Maritime History which uses the photo to illustrate an example of rough seas, with much of the info from the New Zealand caption, but adding: “The Garthsnaid is running with the wind on the port quarter under fore and main lower topsails. The wind force is estimated at Beaufort 9 or 10 from the appearance of the sea.” Beaufort 9 has winds of 47-54 mph and Force 10 is a whole gale with winds 55-63 mph.

Author's Note: Part 2 of 3 will cover the history of this fine ship, including her beginning and end. Part 3 of 3 reveals the history of the man who took the photo of Garthsnaid in the storm.