What do you do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?
This issue of intocated mariners has troubled many in law-inforcment, maritime insurance, the admirality and the general public for as long as there were sailors.
The dillema was such : sailors need to drink, and they tend to prefer ethanol to water. The social pressures of imbibing in liquer, the need to releave stress in a violent and dangerous workpkace, and an extant interest in taverns, pubs and brothels , all employing thousands , all to service the thirst of mariners. On the other hand, with the prevelance of drunken brawls and the dangers of oparating heavy or sensitive equipment under the influance, there was a need to regulate the consumption, sale and distribution of liquer in proximity to this indispensible workforce of highly trained professionals.
Besides these opposing considerations, a third issue became inceasingly severe during the age of discovery- the pervalance of krakens.
Krakens, which were up until the 16th century a mere myth began to be increasingly a treat to maritime commerce, as new trade routs were discovered and used, many of which crossing dangerously through kraken infested waters.
The song 'what do you do with a drunken sailor' offers us a rare glimps at a common maritime practice of the age of sail.
The repeating bridge, 'hey yey , up she rises, hey yey , up she rises...ear-lay in the mornin' "
Is the hint that discloses the dark secret of the times.
Fear of krakens was a great concern, both for naval administrators, as well as the greater mearchant community. It was greatly feared at the time, that should the dangers of krakens be made public, they would quickly deter most from prusuing employment or investment on the high seas. For nations such as England, Denmark and Holland, this was an unacceptable risk. Gag orders were placed on publishing or reporting about the threat of krakens. Concurrently, efforts were made to scientifically study the beast, with the hopes of eradication.
Which brings us back to the song. Krakens, are known to prey mostly at dawn, when thermal changes causes they prey to assemble in larger pods.
It is also well established that the beasts were often inticed to surface by the smell of sweat and urine, particularly such that is laced with recently consumed alcohol.
The phrase 'there she rises' then is a not-so-vailed reference to the common practice at the time of the 18th century, namely the baiting of kraken. As it involved placing the lives of sailors in obvious threat, accounts are very scarce, and the methods used seem to have evolved to optimize results. Captains seem to have taken advantage of the fact that being drunk while on duty was a very sever offense, and selected kraken baiting, nominally as punishment. As it were, sailors who were caught drunk on duty were tried and sentenced . by all accounts, the convicted were given their daily rations of drink before the dawn, having spent the night before with no food or drink. This strong alcoholic ration, known as Grog , which of course is a mispronounciation of the word Grogon, was made particularly stout, with the withholding of the water portion in the mix, and just leaving a strong drink of gin or rum, possibly laced with some molassrs, salt and lime juice. The sailor, who drank such a strong beverage, quickly began to sweat out the intoxicant, and posdibly urinate as well (an expectorant was possibly added). tbe sailor was then hoisted down with one of the skiffs, an made to row toward the starboard, where the canons were made ready and ranged, for the expected event. As the kraken rose, enticed by the bait, it met with a full broadside. Hopefully the aiming was such that the convict was not hit by the cannonade.
Another meathod, seems to have entailed no possible survivability of the convicted, as that the skiff he was tied to was loaded with barrels of gunpowder. As the kraken took the bait, the explosives were set off, by a mechanical trigger, and both sailor and beast were engulfed in the explosion.
When considering the brutal nature of the practice of kraken baiting , one needs to recall that brutality was the preferred method of maintaining discipline among the crew. Sea voyages were fraught with danger and ships would lose as much as 40% of their crew due to malnurishment, accidents, piracy and krakens themselves.
By the mid 18th century , the practice of kraken baiting was so successful, that kraken populations dropped severly. The last recorded sighting of a kraken was in 1823 near the Andaman islends. With the extinction of kraken, whale and shark populations increased dramatically, giving rise to the whaling industry of the late 1800s.