Seafarers in Early Modern and Modern Times: Change and Continuity

This article presents an overview of the posiuon of officers and men, their mutual relations and the role of public authorities and society at large in changes related to the position of seafarers in the western world. In early modern times seafaring was mostly self-regulating, and state interference remained restricted to the guarantee of a sufficient supply of manpower for the navy. England and The Netherlands used techniques that differed from those adopted in Spain, France, Denmark and Sweden. Most naval authorities eventually began to impose certain standards on their officers. The author emphasizes that it was not only proletarians who were on board in early modern times. The great revolutions of the nineteenth century, however, had a great impact upon the position of seafarers. The introduction of steam was fundamental. The engineer came, while the sailmaker departed. Humanitarian concern for the welfare of seamen manifested itself in the creation of all kinds of societies, especially in the United States and Great Britain. Only thereafter did state intervention became manifest. Legislation concerning safety at sea and the working and housing conditions was the result. Compulsory certification for masters and mates was introduced. British authorities often took the lead. Trade unions arrived rather late and after 1900 often involved internal confrontations about syndicalism or reformism. After the First World War international agreements on seafaring labour were the outcome of the annual meetings of the International Labour Organisation. A number of examples to illustrate these trends have been drawn from the Dutch experience in particular.