Brig or Snow - what was a ship's crew complement?

[Newfloridian]

I have been looking into ancestors who were 19th century mariners - particularly plying the coal route between the Tyne and Europe (Hamburg and Dieppe). By following the 'Shipping Information' in local newspapers and the Lloyds Register of Shipping I have been able to determine (more or less) which vessels they (two of them) were skippering between about 1845 and 1880. I feel I have figured out the finer points of difference between a brig and a snow. However as I haven't been able to find any of the particular crew lists or agreements for these boats, one small detail continues to elude me.

What would be the 'average' crew complement for boats of this description on these routes. Scanning the web gives a very confusing range: from 12 to 16 in one study; a 'very sparse crew of 35 hands' in another; a third - concentrating on Royal Navy, pirate and transatlantic passenger work - up to 200.

Many thanks

Alan   

[philipsearching]

The number of crew would vary greatly according to the size of the vessel and its purpose.

Royal Navy ships would carry a complement of marines, cooks, carpenters and so forth as well as the crew required to sail the vessel.

Pirate ships would carry sufficient extra hands to form prize crews for captured ships.

Passenger vessels would carry additional cooks, stewards, laundry workers and others whose job was to look after the passengers.

Trading vessels would (in order to keep the wage bill down) would carry the minimum number of crew needed to sail the ship and carry out essential repairs at sea (multi-tasking!)  If you look at reports of shipwrecks where all crew survived you will get an idea of the numbers - under 10 seamen for ships of 200 tons does not seem to have been uncommon in the 1800s.

All the best
Philip

[newburychap]

Snow?  Or scow?

[Newfloridian]

Definitely snow (often referred to as a snow rigged brig) but occasionally spelled 'snaw'

There is a superbly evocative painting of a snow collier at the mouth of the river Tyne (must have been about 1850 - the era I'm researching) painted by local artist John Scott which can be seen here:

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Scott_-_The_%E2%80%9ESnow_Mary_Ann%E2%80%9C_calling_for_a_pilot_in_two_positions_off_Tynemouth.jpg

Alan

[mazi]

what a superb picture, thanks for the link.

mike

[Newfloridian]

Always difficult to identify a particular vessel in the Lloyd's Registers - especially if it had a popular name. There are a few Mary Anns which were built and plied their trade from Newcastle or Shields. They were all around or just over 200 tons. Most carried coal to London or the near continent. A few carried timber from the Baltic or even Canada.

Given all that, it still surprises me that they could be crewed by 10 men or less. The entrance into the Tyne from the North Sea (even when it wasn't stormy) was treacherous. In the storm of January 1854, 50 ships were wrecked trying it. A similar number were lost in the Great Gale of February 1861.

Amazing!

Alan 

[davecigar]

Hi,
My GGG/F was Master of the Snow 'Rapid', 133 tons, bound from Liverpool to Alexandria, Egypt in July 1837 with a crew of 6 - Master, Mate, 3 Seaman and a Cook.
In April 1838 he signed on another Snow, Blackaller', 137 tons, bound Aracati, NE Brazil with 8 crew - Master, Mate, 4 Seaman, an Apprentice and a Cook.
Hope this answers your question.
Regards
Davecigar

[Newfloridian]

My researches turned out to be very similar. One added dimension was the occasional 'extra' crew member when the captain's wife travelled too (?cook, ?nurse).  In our line our ancestor's wife died suddenly (and unexplained) either just before or on arrival in Hamburg, Germany, in 1866

Thanks for your thoughts

Alan