“This next tune is from ’72… 1872, that is!”
Credit: © DoublePHOTO studio, Shutterstock

In December 2020, a 26-year-old Scottish man named Nathan Evans decided to “seas” the day. He shared a video of himself singing a sea shanty called “Soon May the Wellerman Come” on the service TikTok. Popular in the 1700’s and 1800’s, sea shanties were songs sung by sailors to accompany their work. More than 300 years later, people still sing them, but for entertainment. Some TikTok users have given in to “pier” pressure and are posting videos of themselves singing these maritime tunes, causing ShantyTok to flood the internet like a tidal wave.

Evans posted his video and, “schooner” or later, professional singers, musicians, and maritime enthusiasts started posting videos of their own. Others made use of the social media platform’s “duet” feature to make videos with fellow sailors—or at least wannabe sailors. Some water-dwelling creatures even joined in. For instance, one video featured the Muppet Kermit the Frog! Not everyone performed traditional songs like “Soon May the Wellerman Come.” One person, for example, transformed the rock song “All Star” by the band Smash Mouth—made popular by the movie Shrek—into a sea-shanty-esque song.

A sea shanty is a type of folk song called a work song. Centuries ago, a sea shanty served two purposes in the sailor’s workplace. First, it created a rhythm for work. For instance, if sailors were hauling sail, they could follow the beat of the sea shanty. That way, everyone pulled at the same time. Second, sea shanties distracted sailors from their work. Just as you might play music during a grueling workout, so, too, did sailors use sea shanties to take their minds off hard labor. Much like the lead singer of a band, a person named a shantyman led the shanty. The shantyman sang a line, and then everybody joined in.

You may wonder why so many people have hopped “on board” with ShantyTok. The answer may have something to do with the ongoing pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. The sailors of centuries ago were often isolated at sea, away from family and friends. Sea shanties provided them with a sense of togetherness. Today, efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have left many people separated from family and friends, unable to see them in some cases for nearly a year. A 21st-century shanty might involve electronic dance music and a smartphone, but the purpose it serves is the same: to give people a sense of community.

November 22, 2019

On Nov. 22, 1869, 150 years ago today, the clipper ship Cutty Sark was launched in Dumbarton, Scotland. Clipper ships were fast, slender sailing vessels. One of the fastest sailing ships ever launched, Cutty Sark was also one of the last in regular service. At the time Cutty Sark was launched, most ships were converting to steam power, ending the age of sail that began in the 1500′s.

The clipper ship Cutty Sark was launched 150 years ago today on Nov. 22, 1869. Credit: State Library Victoria

Cutty Sark was named after Cutty-sark, the nickname of the witch Nannie Dee in the Robert Burns poem “Tam o’ Shanter.” Designed to carry tea from China, Cutty Sark was built on the River Clyde, at Dumbarton. Cutty Sark measured 212 feet (64.5 meters) in length and 36 feet (11 meters) in width. It had a sail area of 32,292 square feet (3,000 square meters), a large area in proportion to its size. Cutty Sark had a maximum speed of 19 miles (31 kilometers) per hour, or 17 knots, a good rate for a sailing ship of the time.

During the years it was employed in the tea trade, Cutty Sark proved exceptionally fast but could not match the speed of its rival, Thermopylae. Later, Cutty Sark became the fastest of the clippers in the Australian wool trade. In 1895, it became the Portuguese ship Ferreira. It returned to British ownership in 1922. In the following years, it was moored first at Falmouth, Cornwall, and then at Greenhithe, Kent, before being removed to Greenwich, in London. It was put on public exhibition in 1957.

In May 2007, a fire broke out on Cutty Sark, damaging parts of the ship’s decks and hold. The Cutty Sark Trust, a charity group that maintains the ship for public exhibition, had been restoring the ship. To make repairs, the group had removed parts of the ship, including the masts, much of the planking, and the coach house. As a result, these parts were spared from the fire. Restoration of the damaged parts was completed in 2012.