Kehidupan yang keras di Kapal di Kuno
mariner’s life in the present era is one of excitement and exhilaration. The vessels are equipped with the best features and the oceanic avenues are unlimited in their offering of exploration. However a few centuries ago, life on board ship was not so comfortable and the seamen had to endure problematic situations, often leading to fatal consequences.
Since the vessels of the yester-era were built of wood and completely without electronically operated gadgets, the sailors had to physically ensure the vessel operation in the high seas. During storms and gales, sailors were put on high alert to ensure that the ship did not spring a leak or the sails were being operated appropriately.
Some of the other noteworthy points about the harsh life on ship in the bygone days can be recounted as follows:
Shipping and flogging so as to ward off unruliness that could develop amongst the crew. The disciplinary action would also used to be taken so as to set an example to the other crew members.
Punishments in the form of execution by hanging were also meted out to crew members guilty of causing a mutiny.
The food available in the olden days of ship life were stale and far past their usability, mainly because of months and months of sailing without touching anymore. This was also because of lack of refrigeration infrastructure and cold storage. Meat used to be preserved with salt and the sailors had to consume them because of lack of other fresh food commodities. Beef, pork and fish were the meats available at the sailors’ disposal. Excessive salt consumption led to sailors developing health problems.
Beverages apart from water included ale and other wine. The food and drinks were stored in wooden casks in the deep interior of the ship. The quality of food storage used to be poor and unhygienic which made life on board ship difficult. Maggots, rats and other creatures used to infect the food items causing a lot of health problems to the sailors’ life on ship.
Another important unfavorable face of nautical history about ship life in the olden days was the occurrence of diseases which were very common. Lack of vitamin C caused scurvy, responsible for innumerable fatalities on board a vessel. Other life threatening diseases recounted about the bygone history of sailors included malaria and yellow fever.
Lack of proper warmth was another area which accounted for a distasteful maritime history in the olden days. Fires were not allowed to be lit on the deck areas and only in the ship’s kitchen (galley) were there fires burning. Combined with the lack of ventilation, personal hygiene and dampness, a lot of sailors suffered. Moreover, on many ships the crew used to sleep on the main deck as there were no below deck compartments.
The maritime profession demanded a huge price from its professionals. The sacrifice and the perseverance of the seamen to make the best out of the worst scenarios made them extremely noteworthy in the timeline of nautical history.
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