The Transformation of Maritime Professions : Old and New Jobs in European Shipping Industries, 1850–2000

This book deals with the economic impact of technological changes and the rise of passenger shipping on social relations on board and ashore in European shipping industries between c.1850 and 2000. The changes in motive power, communication techniques and positioning technologies and the rise of passenger shipping went together with the creation of new tasks and functions and the marginalization or disappearance of traditional jobs and skills. This book presents case-studies on changes in different maritime professions between the middle of the nineteenth century and the end of the twentieth century, covering the shipping industries of a variety of seafaring countries in Europe. The subjects include changes in maritime labour at large, changes in specific groups of deck, catering or engine room personnel, such as captains, cooks, catering personnel, engineers, or radio-operators. A number of chapters employ a prosopographical or micro-historical approach, while others apply a spatial perspective, analyze business records, materials from professional associations or distil information from large sets of quantitative data. This book will be of interest to academics and students of economic history, maritime and labour history. Karel Davids is Professor Emeritus of Economic and Social History at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He has published and taught on economic and social history, maritime history, the history of technology and global history. Joost Schokkenbroek has been Executive Director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum since July 2017. Prior to this he was affiliated with The Kendall Whaling Museum in the USA (1988-1990) and Het Scheepvaartmuseum (The Dutch National Maritime Museum) in Amsterdam (1991-2017), where he worked as Chief Curator, in combination with a Professorship of Maritime History and Maritime Heritage at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam Acknowledgements Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction Changes in Merchant Shipping After 1850 New Dividing Lines, Fresh Tensions, Novel Opportunities The Essays in This Volume Notes References Part I Changes in Maritime Labour: Institutional, Technological and Spatial Contexts 2 The Human Element in Power-Driven Merchant Ship Propulsion Since 1850: The British Case Introduction Advances in Merchant Ship Power Propulsion2 Merchant Ship Engine Room Manning: Engineer Officers Merchant Ship Engine and Boiler Room Manning: Firemen and Trimmers Conclusion Notes References 3 Technological Change, Institutions and Maritime Labour: International Reforms and Their Reception in Sweden and Finland, c.1850–1939 Introduction Transition from Sail to Steam and Its Effects on Maritime Labour Institutional Response to Technological Change The Question of Child Labour Conclusions Notes References 4 Changes in Maritime Labour in Greece During the Transition from Sail to Steam, c. 1850–1917 Introduction1 Workforce in the Merchant Fleet Assessment of Maritime Workers The Origins of Seamen Crews on Sailing Ships and Steamers Size of Crews on Sailing Ships Size of Crews on Steamships Wages on Sailing Ships and Steamers Wages on Sailing Ships Wages on Steamships Conclusions Notes References 5 Seamen in the City. Origins, Residence and Standard of Living of Le Havre Seamen from c. 1800 to the First Wold War Introduction Method The Geographical Origins of Seamen in Le Havre The Rootedness of Mariners in the Local Urban Environment Wages and Standards of Living Standards of Living of Mariners Conclusion Notes References 6 Reading Shipboard Space: The Plans of Ships Serving the Netherlands East Indies, 1850–1914 Introduction1 Theoretical Orientation 1850–1871: The Cape and the Overland Route 1871–1900: The Trans-Suez Service Networking the Indies: The KPM 1900–1914: ‘All the Comforts of a Well-Equipped Hotel’: The Sindoro and Its Successors Conclusion Notes References Part II Case Studies of Old Maritime Jobs 7 Reconfiguring Authority at Sea: Steamships and Their Captains in a Danish Context, c.1850–1950 Introduction Background, Material and Theoretical Approach The Shifting Role, Responsibilities, and Authority of the Captain ca.1300–1850 The Impact of Technology on the Commercial Role of the Captain The Impact of Technology on the Nautical Responsibilities of the Captain Corporal Punishment in Shipboard Discipline Steamships and the Social Status of the Captain Nostalgia and the Legacy of Sailing Conclusions Notes References 8 Feeding the Fleet: Cooks in the Belgian Merchant Marine, c.1850–1930 Introduction1 The Transformation of the Belgian Fleet A Job in Transition Food for Crews and Passengers Geographical Backgrounds and Careers Paths Conclusion Notes References Part III Case Studies of New Maritime Jobs 9 Elbowing Their Way: Ship’s Engineers in the Spanish Merchant Marine, c.1850–1950 Introduction1 Elbowing Their Way Foreigners’ Domination Legislation and Regulation of the Profession Training and Learning Careers Professional Associations Fighting on Multiple Fronts Conclusion Notes References 10 From the Captain’s Tiger to the Chief Steward. Career Patterns of the Catering Personnel on British Passenger Liners, 1860–1938 Introduction Rapid Expansion of the Catering Departments Sources and Methodology Recruitment and Training of the Catering Personnel Gendered Patterns of Recruitment Men Climbing up the Career Ladder Criteria for Promotion and Reactions to Increasing Control Conclusion Notes References 11 Surfing the Waves. The Rise and Decline of Radio Operators in the Dutch Mercantile Marine in the Twentieth Century Introduction Employment and Tasks of Radio Operators Radio Operators in the ship’s Hierarchy The Labour Market, Government Regulations and Technological Change Conclusion Notes References 12 Conclusion Transformations in Maritime Professions Between c.1850 and 1950 Coda: Changes in the Shipping Industry After 1950 and Their Impact Further Lines of Inquiry Notes References Index