What was life like on board a Tudor ship?

What was life like on board a Tudor ship?

Life was very cramped living on tudor ships and the sailors lived in these conditions for many months and sometimes even years. The sailors often slept on the deck and had only the clothes they wore. The ships were often dirty and were infested with mice.

What was life like on board the Mary Rose?

Even with the normal crew size of around 400, conditions would have been very crowded. The Mary Rose was the crew’s home and their workspace. As the ship was rapidly buried in very fine silt, a lot of their possessions are very well preserved, including wood, leather, human and animal bones.

What diseases did Tudor sailors get?

no DE The main cause of disease amongst the sailors on a Tudor ship was poor nutrition. The most common disease to affect sailors of this time was scurvy. this occurred when sailors were not given enough fresh fruit which contains vitamin C. Scurvy would affect the gums and could cause teeth to fall out.

What was the average life expectancy in Tudor times?

35 years
Life in Tudor Britain was harsh – the average life expectancy was just 35 years. Most Tudor people lived in the countryside, but some people lived in towns or big Tudor cities like London, Bristol or Norwich. Tudor England was a farming society.

Why the Mary Rose sank?

Eye-witness accounts described a sudden breeze as the Mary Rose made a turn, causing her to capsize. A French cavalry officer present at the battle stated that the Mary Rose had been sunk by French guns. A cannonball low in the hull would enable water to flood in, making the ship unstable and leading to her sinking.

What happened to the Mary Rose on the 19th July 1545?

On 19th July 1545, while Henry VIII watched, the Mary Rose sank very quickly, in the Solent, between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. The Mary Rose was part of an English fleet trying to stop the French ships landing on the Isle of Wight, but sank before firing a single shot.

What was life like on the Golden Hind?

Disease and Infection. At sea 16th century ships were hotbeds for disease and infection brought about by the lack of proper sanitation, cramped sleeping conditions on straw filled mattresses on the hard decks (hammocks were not introduced in English ships until around 1596) and constant wet and damp.

How did sailors do laundry?

Doing the laundry and taking a bath was no simple matter at sea. Fresh water was limited, so salt water was used to clean clothing, which was then sometimes towed behind the ship to dry. But clothes washed this way never completely dried, because the salt absorbed moisture and kept the clothes damp.

What was it like to live on a Tudor ship?

Life was very cramped living on tudor ships and the sailors lived in these conditions for many months and sometimes even years. The sailors often slept on the deck and had only the clothes they wore.

What was it like to live on a galleon?

With so many people (and animals, kept for fresh meat, milk and eggs) crowded together in a small space, conditions on board a galleon could become extremely unpleasant—noisy, filthy and smelly. It was important that the crew cleaned the ship thoroughly, including pumping the dirty water out of the bilges, on a daily basis.

How did the sailors of the Tudor age preserve food?

Tudor sailors spent many days out of sight of land and so had to take food with them that would last. There was no fresh food. They preserved food by drying, salting, smoking and pickling and they took food which kept naturally, like nuts. Food was often infested with worms and other creatures.

What was the role of the Maestre on a galleon?

He was responsible for sailing the galleon, for keeping it seaworthy and for ensuring it had adequate supplies. The maestre was assisted by a number of officers, including the piloto (pilot), responsible for navigation, the contramaestre (boatswain, or bosun), who looked after the rigging and ensured the ship runs smoothly,…