Heaving Shanty - Traditional Sea Shanties

What kind of heaving shanties exists?

Stan Hugill gives us an explanation of the types of shanties. So he gives us two main types of shanties, hauling and heaving shanties, in this page, we talk about Heaving Shanties.

Here are the types of Heaving Shanty

(A) – Main Capstan or windlass songs (for heaving the anchor).

Correctness of naming Capstan Shanty category

The category “Capstan Shanty”, as mentioned in a comment on this page by Professor Gibb Sheffler, is not very clear and I do agree. He points out the fact that: Sometimes the song has specific features that make it especially good for capstan or windlass, other times, the only thing that someone like Stan Hugill means by “capstan shanty” is that someone sang the song while working on the capstan. We can sing “Sally Brown” equally at halyards, windlass, or capstan. We can sing “Rio Grande”, however, only at the windlass or capstan because it has a “grand chorus” that fills extra time. Although still very imperfect, rather than “capstan shanty” and “windlass shanty,” a better category might be “heaving shanty” (covering both capstan and lever windlass, the two “heaving” jobs).

On the sailing ship, For the raise an anchor there were two types of devices for raising the anchor:

First, the older one that sailors used to raise an anchor was the levers windlass (Brake Windlass) …

Work in the same way as old type levers pump, the difference in terms of the shanties was the movement was different and have a middle step, in the waist level (horizontal position level of the levers).

So full cycle from point of view of the one site was arms down on the deck (feet), next tempo on the waist level, next up as possible arms upon to the sky, and back on the waist, the cycle closed on arms on deck again.

Here is one example of the windlass capstan in action. This fantastic example happens in Mystic Seaport Museum. The heaving anchor operation has placed on the last surviving whaling ship Charles W. Morgan.

Worth noting is the fact it used “Mister Stormalong” shanty as a helping tool, exactly how it was happening in old times, the shantyman is one of the most knowledgeable people about sea shanties, Professor Gibb Sheffler, who like only one person in whole the world recorded all songs from the Stan Hugill book – “The Shanties From The Seven Seas” (over 400 songs!).

Index Of The Brake Windlass Shanty

The second type is the main capstan shanty for heaving an anchor…

From the horizontal form of anchor windlass, the capstan evolves into the vertical drum or barrel, with horizontal spars (called capstan bars) which have been pushed by sailors, so the twisted rope on the barrel was pulled by the force of the capstan, and this way they can walk around the capstan and heave the line or chain.

Index Of The Capstan Shanty

(B) – Capstan songs (for hoisting sails, etc., by ‘mechanical’ means, and warping in out of dock).

(C) – Pump Shanties.

Because of the number of Pump shanties, I kept them on another page: Pump Shanty.

(D) – Capstan Shanties used at Halyard Winch

Index Of The Capstan Shanties used at Halyard Winch

My private collection of books

Shantyman library – you will see descriptions and recommendations of positions worth diving into, true sources of knowledge about sea shanties. To gain knowledge about sea shanties is the main ultimate purpose of this library, every book in this library is somehow related to sea shanties and before mast songs.

More involvement in Traditional Sea Shanties

You can find this record here or directly listen below. If you want to discuss the record or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here.