TYPES
The crews of Yankee whalers up to, and including, the fifties were made up mostly of Americans drawn from the neighbourhood of the ships’ home port.
As the great West opened up, the movement overland diverted the native American from the sea, and in the declining years of the industry crews were composed mainly of Portuguese, Negroes, and Bravas from the Cape Verde Islands.
Whaling crews were not paid wages but were given a “lay,” or share in the profits at the end of the voyage.
The lay scale was graded down from 1/16th for the captain to 1/200th for a green hand—and even less to the cabin boy.
At the end of a long voyage, when the ship was credited with oil valued at $250,000, or more, the sailors’ share was quite worth while.