Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Contributors
- “Economic Theory, Information and Management in Shipbroking: Fearnley and Eger as a Case Study, 1869-1972”
- “The Early Nineteenth-Century Port of London: Management and Labour in Three Dock Companies, 1800-1825”
- “Owners and Masters: Management and Managerial Skills in the Finnish Ocean-Going Merchant Fleet, c. 1840-1880”
- “Management, Profitability and Finance in Twentieth-Century Spanish Merchant Shipping: The Compañía Maritima Del Nervion as a Case Study, 1899-1986”
- “Twentieth-Century Shipping Strategies: Broström and Transatlantic, Gothenburg's Leading Shipping Companies”
- “Contractors' Bounties or Due Consideration?: Evidence on the Commercial Nature of The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's Mail Contracts, 1842-1905”
- “Patterns of Ownership and Finance in the Greek Deep-Sea Steamship Fleet, 1880-1914”
- “Financial Weakness and Industrial Conflict in Italian Shipbuilding Between the Two World Wars”
- “Responding to the Global Market in Boom and Recession: Japanese Shipping and Shipbuilding Industries, 1945- 1980
“Owners and Masters: Management and Managerial Skills in the Finnish Ocean-Going Merchant Fleet, c. 1840-1880”
from Contributors
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Contributors
- “Economic Theory, Information and Management in Shipbroking: Fearnley and Eger as a Case Study, 1869-1972”
- “The Early Nineteenth-Century Port of London: Management and Labour in Three Dock Companies, 1800-1825”
- “Owners and Masters: Management and Managerial Skills in the Finnish Ocean-Going Merchant Fleet, c. 1840-1880”
- “Management, Profitability and Finance in Twentieth-Century Spanish Merchant Shipping: The Compañía Maritima Del Nervion as a Case Study, 1899-1986”
- “Twentieth-Century Shipping Strategies: Broström and Transatlantic, Gothenburg's Leading Shipping Companies”
- “Contractors' Bounties or Due Consideration?: Evidence on the Commercial Nature of The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's Mail Contracts, 1842-1905”
- “Patterns of Ownership and Finance in the Greek Deep-Sea Steamship Fleet, 1880-1914”
- “Financial Weakness and Industrial Conflict in Italian Shipbuilding Between the Two World Wars”
- “Responding to the Global Market in Boom and Recession: Japanese Shipping and Shipbuilding Industries, 1945- 1980
Summary
Introduction: The Role of Masters in the Age of Sail
He looked with extreme jealousy at the beautiful and well-appointed ships frequenting Newcastle from Russian and Swedish Finland: but, he saw that no fairer class of merchant ships came to any port; their dimensions, their rigging, everything about them was admirable; while their commanders and officers inspired respect from their general competency. Their log-books were beautifully kept in English…No doubt, these northern maritime countries could be regarded in no other light than that of formidable rivals.
The above quotation is from the evidence of a Tyneside shipowner, William Richmond, before the 1847 committee examining the future of the Navigation Acts. Since he was a keen protectionist, the bright picture he painted of Finnish ships and masters was certainly influenced by his conscious and unconscious fears.3 At the same time, the statement indirectly emphasizes the importance of the master: his qualities and skills were not only reflected in the outward appearance of the ship but also in many cases decisively affected its economic success.
In the present maritime world, the master may be regarded as a highly-skilled employee, a foreman or a chief of personnel. He may manage everyday work fairly independently but all important business decisions are made by the owners or managers. Yet before the era of the telegraph and liners he had far wider powers and responsibilities, at least in the long-distance trades. Not only did he manage the ship, he also had an important say in managing the business. Thus, he frequently decided things which today fall outside his province, such as freight contracts and the ship's expenses in foreign ports. Indeed, he was more like a manager than a foreman. This role was particularly important in deep-sea trading, in which a vessel might be away from its home port for several years. In such cases, the entire managerial system was of necessity very different than modern practices.
In this essay I will examine the system of management during the “heyday of sail” using the Finnish merchant marine as a case study. While it can hardly be argued that Finland was a typical maritime country - it was situated too far from the major oceans for that - it was engaged in the cross-trades in faraway waters.
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- Management, Finance and Industrial Relations in Maritime IndustriesEssays in International Maritime and Business History, pp. 51 - 66Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 1994