Did Merchant Ships Sail Through The Night?

In the 19th century, merchant ships were a complex and intricate world that involved sailors working multiple four-hour watches per day. Idlers worked by day and slept by night, with the cook being the only idler on a merchant ship. On a warship, specialists such as carpenters, sailmakers, gunners, surgeons, and others worked alongside their mates.

Pay on naval ships was less than on merchant ships, but sailors would expect to have a share of prize money. Merchant ships traveled the vast oceans, forging new ports like Falmouth and a deep water harbor near the English Channel. Before the days of New England and the Middle Atlantic states, significant fleets of sailing ships turned to the Atlantic and Mediterranean islands, Mauritius, and China.

Sailing ships used sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There are various sail plans, including square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Dutch shipping had a policy that 8 days was considered enough to take fresh supplies, and the VOC tried to limit official stays to 10. One night, a U.S. ship was sailing in North Vietnam when they thought they were being attacked, and the president asked Congress for permission to act on this.

Life at sea during the Age of Sail was filled with hardship, cramped conditions, disease, poor food and pay, and bad weather. Sailors had to accept cramped conditions, disease, poor food and pay, and bad weather. The boat was quiet, and everyone else was asleep.

The Age of Sail also saw the development of large fleets of well-armed warships. The cog, developed towards the end of the 12th century, was a bulbous, single-masted cargo ship with a square sail, stern, and a bulbous hull.