16thcenturyships

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Common Signs of Good Luck Aboard A 16th Century Ship

Common signs of good luck for sailors included

Cats-In most culture black cats are a sign of bad luck however to sailors they believed the opposite. Cat’s ate rodents which prevented rope from being chewed on and their food supply from being eaten.

Whistling- Whistling was a sign of good luck since it was believed to encourage wind strength to increase.

Touching your collar- Touching your collar was considered good luck since sailor’s believed it would lead to a good start.

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sailor’s greatly feared the unknown 

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Mishaps On the Ship

As you all may know, not everything goes the way you hope it does. This was true, especially for sailors. Due to the lack of technological advances, routing ships was often difficult. Sailors risked making errors in navigation and running out of food prematurely. Deadly diseases also occurred on board as sailors travelled form place-to-place.

Deadly Diseases-

Scurvy is one of the most well-known diseases that affected sailors in the sixteenth through eighteenth century. This disease was caused by a deficiency of vitamin C and led to bleeding gums and the opening of previously healed wounds. This disease greatly affected sailors until the end of the eighteenth century and sailors often died as a result of bleeding or infection.

Navigation Issues-

As Muslims were dominating in the 16th century, it became crucial for Europe to establish a new, safer sea route to bring back spices. Christopher Columbus believed that he was heading to Asia in order to find spices and gold. However, he ended up in the Americas which he believed was India.

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What Sailor’s Feared the Most At Sea

Common beliefs of bad luck included risks of sailing and ordinary bad luck. Some other examples of a sailor’s greatest fears include

Red Sunrise-Red correlates to danger and sailor’s believed that if the sky was red, that day will be dangerous

A Jonah- A Jonah was derived from the bible. He was a prophet that was swallowed by a whale and is believed to be a model for bad luck.

Friday-Friday was considered to be an unlucky day since sailor’s believed that if they began their voyage on a Friday their journey will be a disaster.

Sea Monsters- Many sailor’s fear of the unknown got the best of them. They didn’t have a clue as to what lied in the ocean therefore, they feared a giant creature would emerge from the water, causing mass-destruction.

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A Few Interesting Facts!

The HMS Ark Royal was an English galleon ordered by Sir Walter Raleigh before the galleon was purchased by Queen Elizabeth I in 1587 for 5000 English pounds.

In 1588 it was the largest vessel in the English fleet

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A Couple of Ships In the 16th Century

1.The Santa Maria

2. The Galleon Andalucia

3.The Turtle Ship

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Food Supplies On the Ship

Long journeys aboard ships called for large amounts of food. Some common food that was usually eaten during a sailor’s voyages included

Salted Pork

Biscuits that were made on the ship

Rum

Beef

Dairy Products such as: milk and cheese

Food played a large role in the lives of sailors since it made the entire experience of sailing at sea more enjoyable, and it provided comfort.

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How One Became A Sailor In the 16th Century

Young boys usually began their apprenticeships no later than the age of fourteen in the sixteenth century. The parents of these boys had to pay large sums of money to the ships. These hefty payments were made so that the boys could become unpaid apprentices for nine years. In these nine years, boys learned technical skills that would allow them to rise above onto higher levels. After their apprenticeships ended, the boys were then able to become first mates or sail-men by their mid-twenties. However, this situation was quite different for those who were poor or whose families were financially challenged at the time. Although these poor boys were able to receive apprenticeships without paying, they were unable to advance further than being a seaman. In terms of payment, most sailors were paid in a lump at the end of their voyage.