Hammocks: a Maritime Tool by Michele Panico November, 2018 Director of Thesis
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Hammocks: A Maritime Tool by Michele Panico November, 2018 Director of Thesis: Dr. Angela Thompson Major Department: Maritime Studies During the age of sail, sailors slept in hammocks made of canvas, suspended on the gundecks and secured to the beams above. This work seeks to understand the adoption and adaptation of hammocks as a maritime tool on sailing vessels and the subsequent impact and changes their presence caused. The adoption of hammocks onto maritime vessels affected all aspects of life at sea; including alterations to the construction and supplies needed aboard ships, which resulted in monetary impacts. Hammocks allowed for an increase in the number of men aboard vessels, they shaped modifications and improvements in sleeping conditions, and strengthened the divisions in ranks, while also acting as a means of comradery. In addition, hammocks created revisions in rules and regulations. Likewise, they altered forms of protection and defenses. Furthermore, hammocks affected health and hygiene by playing large roles in governing the cleanliness of ships and sailors. They also had various functions in relation to the sickbay, including a key part in burial. Finally, this thesis concludes with the replacement of hammocks by bunks. Ultimately, it evaluates the hammock as a maritime tool that influenced life at sea during the age of sail. Hammocks: A Maritime Tool A Thesis Presented To the Faculty of the Department of Department History East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Arts in Maritime Studies by Michele Panico November, 2018 © Michele Panico, 2018 Hammocks: A Maritime Tool by Michele Panico APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF THESIS: _____________________________________________________ (Dr. Angela Thompson, PhD) COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______________________________________________ (Dr. Lynn Harris, PhD) COMMITTEE MEMBER: ______________________________________________ (Dr. Wade Dudley, PhD) CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMNT OF HISTORY: ________________________________________ (Dr. Christopher Oakley, PhD) DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: _______________________________________________ Paul J. Gemperline, PhD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement and support. With a special thanks to my wonderful mother, Cheryl, my loving husband, Charles, and my dedicated professor, Dr. Thompson, for always believing in me. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Discovery ...................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 Historiography .......................................................................................................................... 3 Previous Sleeping Conditions ................................................................................................... 9 Origins of the Hammock ......................................................................................................... 13 New World Origins ........................................................................................................... 13 Uses by New World Natives ............................................................................................. 15 Discovery by Europeans ......................................................................................................... 17 Alternative Spelling ................................................................................................................ 20 Other Nations and Language Barriers..................................................................................... 24 Wide Spread Adoption and Uses by Europeans ..................................................................... 26 Chapter 2: Effects of Hammocks on Ships ................................................................................... 32 Number of Men ....................................................................................................................... 33 Materials and Bedding ............................................................................................................ 36 Hammock Material ........................................................................................................... 37 Bedding ............................................................................................................................. 39 Accessories ....................................................................................................................... 43 Construction Below Deck to Accommodate Hammocks ....................................................... 46 Construction of Merchant Ships ....................................................................................... 60 Outfitting ................................................................................................................................. 61 Chapter 3: Sleeping Conditions .................................................................................................... 66 Space ....................................................................................................................................... 66 Comfort ................................................................................................................................... 69 Wetness ............................................................................................................................. 73 Ventilation......................................................................................................................... 75 Officers by Comparison .......................................................................................................... 76 Comradery............................................................................................................................... 78 Chapter 4: Effects on Daily Life ................................................................................................... 81 Regulations ............................................................................................................................. 81 Routine .................................................................................................................................... 85 Protection ................................................................................................................................ 88 Netting Construction ......................................................................................................... 94 Netting as Protection ....................................................................................................... 100 Flotation ................................................................................................................................ 104 Chapter 5: Health and Hygiene ................................................................................................... 108 Clean Hammocks .................................................................................................................. 110 Personal Hygiene .................................................................................................................. 118 Sickbay .................................................................................................................................. 120 Burial..................................................................................................................................... 123 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 126 Phasing Out ........................................................................................................................... 130 Today .................................................................................................................................... 133 Future Research .................................................................................................................... 133 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 136 Appendix A: Figure Permissions ................................................................................................ 161 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Dress and Equipment of Naval Marines and Sailors, Spain, Eighteenth Century ..... 14 2. Depiction of Amerigo Vespucci’s first interaction with hammocks, c. 1580-1605 .. 15 3. Spanish “Coy.” Possibly depicting hammock, mattress, or cot. Spain, Sixteenth Century ....................................................................................................................... 29 4. Examples of various mattresses. United States Navy, 1879 ...................................... 42 5. Clew weaved from nettles. United States Navy, 1868............................................... 45 6. Slung hammocks with and without spreader bar, nettles and woven clews Royal Navy, 1750’s .............................................................................................................. 46 7. Illustration of hammock hooks. British Royal Navy, Seventeenth Century .............. 50 8. Illustration