Shanghaied
Ah, the good old days… if only recruitment was still this simple! 🫢
In the 1800s, merchant ships sailing out of American West Coast ports like San Francisco, Portland and Seattle were desperate for crew to make the long, miserable Pacific crossing to China.
Sailors jumped ship all the time because the conditions were awful and the pay was worse.
Enter the legendary villains of the docks:
Crimps and Shanghaiers.
They were shady recruiters employed by captains.
Paid a bounty for everybody they got onto a ship.
They didn’t care if you were:
⚓️ A sailor
⛏️ A miner
🤠 A drunk cowboy
Once they had you, they cashed in.
Their methods included:
🍺 Drugged drinks
💪 A blackjack to the back of the head
📑 Fake contracts
🪑 Trapdoors in waterfront saloons
You’d wake up already at sea. By the time you were conscious…
Congratulations, you worked on a clipper ship.
Destination? Often Shanghai. Hence the name.
The word stuck...
Today “shanghaied” simply means being forced into something you never agreed to.
Fun Facts
Some bars had literal “deadfalls” - trapdoors that dropped you into underground tunnels leading straight to the harbour.
-⚓️-
Portland’s “Shanghai Tunnels” are still a tourist attraction today.
-⚓️-
Professional crimps were often more feared than pirates. Pirates robbed you. Crimps sold you.
The Maritime Origins Series
Maritime Origins is a storytelling series created by Jason Nangle, Founder of Angle Recruitment, a global maritime recruitment and executive search firm.
The series explores the fascinating history behind everyday phrases that originated at sea, as well as the remarkable stories, traditions and characters that have shaped maritime culture.
Many sayings still used today were first spoken by sailors navigating the challenges of life on board ships. Alongside these phrase origins, the series also highlights lesser-known maritime stories, legends and historical moments from the world of shipping.
Through short stories and visual posts, Maritime Origins connects the language, heritage and traditions of seafarers with the modern maritime industry.
New posts in the series launch every Tuesday on LinkedIn and are then shared across other platforms including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X. Follow
Jason Nangle on LinkedIn and Angle Recruitment across your preferred social platforms.
'Blowing smoke up your arse' was once life-saving medicine. 18th century doctors used tobacco smoke enemas to revive drowning victims. Now it just means flattery.
The maritime origins of "in the doldrums," a sailor's phrase from the age of sail used for the windless belt near the equator where ships could sit becalmed for weeks.
In a hammock in a wooden sailing ship. A woman’s leg sticks up from a nearby hammock, “From ‘Show a leg’… ‘Shake a leg’ stuck!”
