A ship chandler is a retail dealer who specializes in providing supplies or equipment for ships.The Maritime Industry Knowledge Centre
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Synopsis

For traditional

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships c ...

s, items that could be found in a

chandlery A chandlery was originally the office in a wealthy medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. It could be headed by a chandler. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and only exist ...

include sail-cloth, rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch, linseed oil, whale oil,

tallow Tallow is a rendering (industrial), rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain techn ...

, lard,

varnish Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade from the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmented as desired, and is sold commercially in various ...

, twine, rope and cordage, hemp, and oakum. Tools (hatchet, axe, hammer, chisel, planes, lantern, nails, spike, boat hook, caulking iron, hand pump, and marlinspike) and items needed for cleaning such as brooms and mops might be available. Galley supplies, leather goods, and paper might also appear. In the age of sail ship chandlers could be found on remote islands, such as

St. Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

, who were responsible for delivering water and fresh produce to stave off scurvy. Today's chandlers deal more in goods typical for

fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

-powered commercial ships (oil tanker, container ship, and

bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, econom ...

) including maintenance supplies, cleaning compounds, and food stores for the crew. A distinguishing feature of a ship chandler is the high level of service demanded and the short time required to fill and deliver orders. Commercial ships discharge and turn around quickly, delay is expensive making the services of a dependable ship chandler in great demand. Advantages, today and in the past, are that stores in unfamiliar ports do not need to be sought out (assuming the crew is allowed to leave by immigration authorities) and lines of credit make exchanging of currency a non-issue. (Usually a ship owner would establish a line of credit with the chandler and then be billed for anything delivered to the crew.) Chandlers also deliver the product, freeing up crew to work on repairs or, if allowed, take shore leave. The ship chandlery business was central to the existence and the social and political dynamics of ports and their waterfront areas.Stinchcombe, Arthur L. (1995) ''Sugar Island Slavery in the Age of Enlightenment: The Political Economy of the Caribbean World'' Princeton University Press, Princeton New jersey, pp. 311–318, Ship chandlers are typically supplied by nearby merchants.

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References

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