United States Merchant Marine Academy - Midships Yearbook (Kings Point, NY)

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The tiny galley found aft on a vv entire crew was prepared in thi ■. The cliow for the all area. hurry. Watch yer head, ships ain ' t made fer a feller as long as you to walk upright in. Them ' s the main timbers an ' they ' ll give ya a wicked bang on the head if ya don ' t watch yer head. This here ' s the steerage. Harpooners, the bo ' sun, an ' my self live here. Yer gonna have to clean this here hole every mornin ' and take my word, we don ' t fancy no kind of bugs— especially cockroaches, runnin round loose down here. Make sure she ' s kept ship-shape an ' yer bound to git on with all o ' us. Here ' s the saloon, captain sits there an ' the mates all ' round ' im. See them two cabins off to the side there? The first officer berths in the after one an ' the second an ' third officers call tlie foward one home. You keep them clean too —only, give ' em a special touch. They got the ins with the ole man an ' -can have the whip cracked on ya without too much trouble. Keep clear o ' the ole man an ' his friends, don ' t fight, an ' do yer job. That ' s about all that ' s necessary to avoid a floggin ' . ' Tou ' ll help cooky serve chow to the mates an ' the ole man. After they ' re through, git clean dishes out fast— the steerage gang gits second crack at usin ' the saloon an ' we don ' t like bein ' held up. The whole crew is eatin on deck tonight so ' s I guess you won ' t have to turn to ' till the mornin ' . ' ■ • ■ ' ' • ■ ' ' Rouse out when the watch on deck calls ya, they don ' t like to have to call a second time. Guess we better go on deck an ' git ready fer chow, it ' s ' bout time now. Eight bells on the twelve to four were being made and Jim explained to Skip about the set- ting of dog watches and chow call. This, along with a few brief introductions to members of the crew that Jim had sailed with before occupied the few minutes left before chow time. Suddenly, the cook emerged from the galley The Iiand operated windlass used for hoisting the anchor and hoisting blanket pieces of blubber from the whale aboard the ship.

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iptain s private stateroom. The bed was supported by gimbals and a magnetic compass was suspended from the overhead so that he could keep an eye on the progress of the ship without going up on deck. In a meek voice half filled with fright and the other half respect Skip replied Yes sir. Well let me give ya some advise if ' n yer new. First off, I tain ' t sir. Only them that live beyond me in the stern receive that distinction and privilege. Next, to tell you is you had better git them shoes off afore they ' re ruined or ya break yer darn wiry neck. Ain ' t no need fer fancy foot gear aboard this here ship, we keep the decks holistoned an ' what we can ' t reach with the hohstone, nature keeps smooth and polished with the wind and the sea. Besides, do ya good to git yer feet conditioned to yer home. Makes ' em as hard as leather— someday you ' ll never need to wear shoes again. By the way better head for the Fo ' c ' sle an ' git some straw and a bunk fer ya to sleep on afore night ' s on us. It ' s late in the year an ' won ' t be long afore she ' ll be closing in on us fer the evening. Look to see who ya can trust up there and strike up a friendship with a couple of the fo ' c ' sle gang. Ain ' t everyone of ' em that ya kin trust on these ships. Too much riff-raff bein ' shipped these days-they ain ' t lookin ' at what they ' re shaggin ' to fill out the crews. Well, be gone now an ' do as I told you. If you run into any trouble, just sing out Sails an ' I ' ll be right with you-a young feller like you needs a might bit o ' protection once in awhile. So it was that Jim closed his conversation. Without a second thought, Skip started on his way heading for the- now wait a minute, Where ' s the forecastle? he thought out loud. Damn youngsters-nowadays they ship ' em without even tellin ' ' em which end is the bow. Yes, old Jim heard his exclamation and came to his aid immediately to rescue him from the near clutches of distress. I guess if ya ain ' t ever seen a ship afore, I can ' t blame ya fer not knowin ' how she ' s built. Come along with me an ' I ' ll learn ya all I knows about ' er. First, we ' ll head forward an ' settle what I set you out to do. On the way forward, to the hatch opening from the forecastle to the deck above, Jim ex- plained everything that caught his eye and did so with ease and an air of professional knowl- edge. Thar ' s the trypots. No, not along the rail. There afore the main mast where they belong. That ' s whar we try the oil out of the hides o ' them darn critters, the whales. She ' s a bark lad with square riggin ' on the fore an ' mainmasts and fore an ' aft rigging on the mizzin. Plenty o ' room fer head sails forward too. Can ' t say as I ever sailed a smoother ridin ' ship myself-course, what ' s one man ' s goose is another ' s gander! So it went that Skip was taught everything that was on deck and all that was below them too. While they were touring the ' tween deck area, Jim told him to take extra note on every- thing there because, being a cabin boy, this is where he would be doing most of his work. Here, this space is the fo ' c ' sle. This is whar you ' ll bed down an ' spend yer restless nights ' till ya get used to sleepin ' with the motion o ' the ship. No, not that bunk. Take this one back ' ere. She pitches less than she rolls an ' besides, you ' ll git some heat in the cold weather from this here bulkhead. Crew mus ' all be green— ain ' t a sea- soned whaleman alive that ' d pass up a berth as good as this. Come on, lets have a look at the midships section. That ' s whar we cut the blanket pieces into horse pieces an ' slice the horse into bible leaves. Store all the empty barrels an ' tools here too, makes ' em handy when needed in a

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A sketch showinp the crew scrambhng for salt junk. and began to bang on an old pot with a serving spoon. Well, young feller, that ' s what we been waitin ' fer. Better hurry on over to the pot afore it ' s all ate an ' we don ' t git our share. Here, grab a cup an ' a plate an ' unsheath yer knife so ' s yer ready to harpoon yerself a hunk o ' salt junk. Tain ' t much fer taste, but helps to fill the empty space in yer midships section. All of a sudden, Skip saw a mass of men emerge from the fo ' c ' sle hatch and decend upon the steaming pot of salt junk, or salt horse as it was called occasionally to give the menu a little variety. Along side of this pot was a keg filled with hardtack, a kind of biscuit that was too hard to chew without first being soaked in water or coffee. Salt horse and hardtack were the staples of the whaleman ' s daily diet. Salt junk or salt horse, or by any other name, was nothing more than heavily salted beef of a low grade. Often, this beef still rotted when cruising the warmer climates towards the end of a voyage. The hardstack was constantly subject to mildew and meal worms and as time drew on, even the water in the casks began to stink. For long periods of time, the menu was completely void of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and fresh meat. The captain avoided making landfalls as long as the ship had an adequate supply of fresh water. Occasionally, the cook would mi. up a batch of labicrosse which was nothing more than a hash of salt horse and hardtack properly seasoned with the necessary spices and herbs. Another favorite of the Yankee whaleman was plum duff, a pudding made with fresh fruit. These dishes were only served on special occasions such as religious holidays, national holidays, and to cel- ebrate the passing of various landmarks of the voyage such as the point at which the hold became half full of oil. On rare occasions, when an e.xtra large whale was harpooned and it yielded an unusual amount of oil, the captain would order the cook to make plum duff or labicrosse as a reward for the men for the fine job they had done. Later on after chow, Jim took Skip forward to the hatch cover where the ship ' s keepers and the watch below gathered to spin yarns, sing, and scrimshaw after the evening meal. This, and an occasional frolic were the only ways the men had to reduce the boredom of a long and often monotonous voyage.