Sailors and their pets: Men and their companion animals aboard early twentieth-century Finnish sailing ships

Abstract

Pets were commonly carried aboard Finnish windjammers by crewmembers. This article argues that the explanation for this practice lies in gender hierarchy and power relations in male–male relationships. These relations are perceived through different categories of masculinities according to the theory of hegemonic masculinity. Almost all ocean-going sailing ships had pets. Dogs and cats were especially important to sailors on an emotional level. In homosocial environments, homophobia prevented the physical closeness between men. Therefore, animals provided a safe channel for sailors to exhibit, as well as receive, affection. The presence of animals was part of the sailors’ self-image of being close to nature. Sailors in these last sailing ships were living the masculine ideal of the deep-sea seafarer in the golden age of sail. However, sailors were longing for domesticity and therefore created domestic conditions aboard ship, with their pets contributing to that particular home environment.