RMM1626:69

Knife

The knife has long been the most important tool for a sailor. The traditional sailor’s knife is a single-blade knife with a plain wooden hilt. The hilt often features a hole for a wrist strap. A ship still needs to carry all the necessary tools, as all repair work cannot wait until arrival in a port. 

Many of the tools on board a ship were not familiar to those who started their seaman’s career. At the time when one could start work without any training, one had to learn the special tools and terms while working. The more experienced men had the chance – and the habit – to have fun at the expense of inexperienced young sailors. They could be sent to find non-existent tools or to ask their superiors for them. One could be given a bucket which he should ask the master engineer to fill with vacuum; another one went asking for the key to the wake cabin, while a third one went to the port looking for chimney pots.