High seas and hard drinks: Alcohol rations on Dutch vessels

Abstract

How valid is the historical reputation of drunken sailors? On board Dutch vessels in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, how much alcohol was really being issued at a time when the Dutch were perhaps the most intensely maritime nation in Europe? Were Dutch sailors, therefore, exceptional in their alcohol consumption when compared to other European nations’ navies and merchant marines? Mariners consumed all types of alcohol on land and at sea, although drinking during the early modern period was culturally contextualized and done for a wide array of purposes besides intoxication. At sea, Dutch ships issued alcohol rations consisting of beer, wine and/or spirits. Just as the British gave out rum, the Dutch ships distributed genever. Overall, Dutch vessels did issue more alcohol, by per cent, compared to other states, even as the types of alcohol consumed varied. This article compares the Dutch maritime drinking rates and practices with those of other European nations to determine if sailors on Dutch ships were excessive or atypical.