Ideals of seamanship during the Danish transition from sail to steam

Abstract

During the Danish transition from sail to steam, seamanship was a widely debated concept. Most politicians, sailors and educators defined seamanship as a skill that could only be properly taught on sailing ships. This ideal of seamanship was surprisingly resilient. Even though steamers soon dominated trade, sailing ships were still seen as invaluable places of education. Sailors from sailing ships were viewed as better skilled, more disciplined and tougher than those from steamships. This article aims to understand how the concept of seamanship was constructed, how it influenced educational practices and how it was used politically in the reforms of Danish maritime education during the transition from sail to steam.