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MY BEST ANSWER:A swab is a yarn mop. Sailors on fishing boats had to swab the deck many times in a day to wash up blood, guts and the smell of fish. This kept the boat clean. When a sailor got into trouble, he was made to swab the deck as a punishment. It was also another way to keep sailors out of trouble and busy.

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Wooden ships do not use sealants between the boards on deck. Swabbing the deck with seawater keeps them swollen and pressed tight against each other, preventing waves from drenching the rooms belowdecks.

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8y ago

Warships employed the crew in two cleaning processes - swabbing and holystoning. These kept the decks clean and white and kept the large crews busy. Crews were large as poor food, bad water, and casualties could whittle the crew size down on long voyages or during battles. Keeping the crews busy kept them out of trouble (idle hands and all that)

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Q: Why did sailors spend so much time swabbing the deck Can ship decks be that dirty or did wooden ships with wooden decks need swabbing to keep the wood wet and swollen?
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