出典(authority):フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』「2015/09/05 17:48:45」(JST)
| 「未来とは?」 | ||||
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| SKE48 の シングル | ||||
| B面 | Mayflower GALAXY of DREAMS（TYPE-A） |
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| リリース | 2014年3月19日 | |||
| 規格 | マキシシングル | |||
| ジャンル | J-POP | |||
| 時間 | 4:59 | |||
| レーベル | avex trax | |||
| 作詞・作曲 | 秋元康（作詞） 山田巧（作曲） |
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| プロデュース | 秋元康 | |||
| ゴールド等認定 | ||||
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| チャート最高順位 | ||||
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| SKE48 シングル 年表 | ||||
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| テンプレートを表示 | ||||
「未来とは?」（みらいとは）は女性アイドルグループ・SKE48の楽曲で、2014年3月19日にavex traxから発売された14枚目のシングル。楽曲のセンターポジションは松井珠理奈。
前作「賛成カワイイ!」から約4か月ぶりで、2014年初のシングル。CDは初回盤TYPE-A、通常盤TYPE-A、初回盤TYPE-B、通常盤TYPE-B、初回盤TYPE-C、通常盤TYPE-C、初回盤TYPE-D、通常盤TYPE-D、劇場盤の9形態でのリリース。また握手会・ミュゥモ限定で、絵柄全64種のミュージック・カードが販売されている[6]。
2014年1月11日、名古屋市のポートメッセなごやで行われた「賛成カワイイ!」全国握手会で、シングルのリリースが発表された[7]。その後、1月24日に行われたPRユニット「GALAXY of DREAMS」の結成記者会見ではこのユニットの楽曲がシングルのカップリングとなることが発表されている[8]。
2014年2月1日、ナゴヤドームで開催されたSKE48のコンサート「SKE党決起集会。『箱で推せ!』」において、タイトルの発表と初披露が行われたが、披露内容はミュージック・ビデオの撮影を兼ねたもので、"逆回転"のパフォーマンスかつ[9][10]一部のみの披露だった。そのため、通常の（正回転での）初披露は2014年2月24日の東海ラジオ「SKE48♥1+1は2じゃないよ!」放送内である。また、テレビでの初披露は2014年3月1日にNHK総合（中部7県のみ）で生放送された『カンシャ カンレキ ナゴヤ☆スペシャルライブ』だった。
前作の選抜メンバーとは3人入れ替わった。東李苑・梅本まどか・山田みずほが初選抜。前作の選抜メンバーのうち、中西優香、向田茉夏、同年2月23日に卒業した菅なな子が選抜から外れている。なお、北川綾巴はSKE48史上初となる2作連続での研究生からの選抜となっている。
カップリングは6曲。新たなユニットとして九龍嬢（ドラゴンガールズ）が「Mayflower」を、GALAXYとのタイアップにより結成されたユニットGALAXY of DREAMSが「GALAXY of DREAMS」をそれぞれ歌っている。また、TYPE-BにはチームSの「猫の尻尾がピンと立ってるように…feat. Bose（スチャダラパー）」、TYPE-CにはチームKIIの「S子と嘘発見器」、TYPE-DにはチームEの「待ち合わせたい」、劇場盤には2期生14人による「僕らの絆」を収録している。「僕らの絆」はメンバーの佐藤実絵子が作詞・作曲を担当した楽曲で、元々は佐藤自身のGoogle+にアップされていたものを新録したものである。秋元康以外の人物が作詞を担当したのはSKE48の楽曲としては今回が初めてであり、AKB48グループのシングル（派生ユニットは除く）でメンバーが作詞・作曲した楽曲が収録されることも初めてである。
今作は北川を除く研究生[注 1]がどの楽曲にも参加していない。
キャッチコピーは「僕たちは、毎日、何かから卒業している」。
CDの封入特典として、初回生産分には全国握手会参加引換券および「Special Zepp Event 応募券」が各1枚と、全16種類あるオリジナルトレーディングカードのうち1枚が付いた[11]。
爽やかで疾走感のあるポップソングで[12]、曲調は明るく力強いものとなっている[11]。
リリース時期と重なり、キャッチコピーにも"卒業"の言葉が用いられているように、卒業シーズンの悲しみや不安を前向きな気持ちに切り替える意味が込められている[11]春の歌[13]。「可能性を信じて一歩を踏み出すことの大切さ」を1つのテーマとしていて[14]、「CDジャーナル」は、非常に前向きな歌詞が「ストイックなSKE48によく似合う」と評している[12]。
制作過程で当初の歌詞に少しずつ変更が加えられており、メンバーの高柳明音が語るところによると、完成した楽曲は始めより「力強い」歌詞に変わっているという[15]。ただ歌詞の捉え方はメンバーによって違い、特に加入期によって違うという[15]。松井珠理奈は撮影時のインタビューで、「ナゴヤドームコンサートを終えたことがゴールではなく、そこからまた新たな始まりなんだ」という意味を込めて歌っていると答えている[16]。
一方、ライターのさやわかはこの曲を前向きな歌だと評価する一方、リリース前の2014年2月に行われたAKB48グループ大組閣を挙げて、ファンとメンバー双方が変化に戸惑うタイミングにこのような歌詞は「もやもやする部分」があったのではないかとも評している[13]。更に、「時の流れ」を意識させるような逆再生の手法が用いられているMVは、このようなタイミングで「より胸に迫る」と評されている[17]。
ジャケット写真のメンバーの割り振りは下表のとおり。
| TYPE-A 表 | 大矢真那・北川綾巴・古畑奈和・松井珠理奈 |
| TYPE-A 裏 | GALAXY of DREAMSメンバー10名 |
| TYPE-B 表 | 東李苑・石田安奈・高柳明音・松井玲奈 |
| TYPE-B 裏 | チームSメンバー14人 |
| TYPE-C 表 | 木﨑ゆりあ・木本花音・柴田阿弥・山田みずほ |
| TYPE-C 裏 | チームKIIメンバー16人 |
| TYPE-D 表 | 大場美奈・梅本まどか・須田亜香里・古川愛李 |
| TYPE-D 裏 | チームEメンバー15人 |
| 劇場盤 表 | 「未来とは?」選抜メンバー16名 |
ジャケットに描かれているタイトルロゴは、チームSの木﨑ゆりあによるもの[18]。
「未来とは?」のシングルCDは、2014年3月31日付オリコン週間シングルチャートにおいて初登場で1位にランクインした。同チャートにおけるSKE48のシングルの1位獲得は10作連続・通算10作目となり、グループはデビューから約4年8か月で通算10作目の1位獲得を達成した。女性グループによる通算10作1位獲得の達成はモーニング娘。、AKB48に次ぐ史上3組目であり、デビューから達成までの期間は女性グループ史上最短となった（それまでの記録はAKB48の約5年9か月）。また、連続1位獲得数記録においてピンク・レディーが記録していた9作連続を抜き、AKB48（2014年3月31日付チャートまでで22作連続）に次ぐ単独2位となった[2]。ただ初動売上は約39.8万枚と前作より数字を落とし、7thシングル｢オキドキ」以来5作ぶりに40万を割った。
2014年3月月間では約46.1万枚を売り上げ、約41.5万枚で3位のNMB48「高嶺の林檎」を、また約45.8万枚で2位の乃木坂46「気づいたら片想い」を約3千枚の差で、それぞれ上回って同月間チャート1位にランクインした[3]。2014年上半期では約50.3万枚となり、53.8万枚の乃木坂46「気づいたら片想い」に次ぐ7位にランクインした[4]。
Billboard JAPANのチャートにおいては、2014年3月31日付のHot Singles SalesとHot 100の双方で1位にランクインした。HOT 100を構成するセールス、ルックアップ、ツイートの3つで共に1位となっている。また、同ダウンロードでは25位、エアプレイ(Hot Top Airplay)では3月31日付と4月7日付の双方で35位にランクインした[5][19]。
サウンドスキャンジャパンのチャートにおいては、2014年3月17日 - 23日調査分の週間CDソフト シングルランキング TOP20でTYPE-A初回盤が推定売上34,529枚で1位、TYPE-B初回盤が同30,631枚で2位、TYPE-C初回盤が同26,888枚で3位、TYPE-D初回盤が同26,336で4位を記録し、1 - 4位を占めた[20]。
| 映像外部リンク | |
|---|---|
| 2014/3/19 on sale 14th.Single 未来とは？ MV（special edit ver.） - YouTube - のSKE48公式チャンネル。 | |
| ＳＫＥ48、新曲ＭＶは「逆再生」 - YouTube - のJIJIPRESS（時事通信社）公式チャンネルで公開されているメイキング映像。 |
ショートヴァージョンのMVが2014年3月7日にYouTubeのSKE48公式チャンネルで公開された[21][22]。監督は前シングルに引き続いて丸山健志が務めている[23]。構成は、SKE48にとっての"目標"であったナゴヤドームに到達するまでのストーリーを軸にしたものとなっている[22]。
逆回転での再生となっているが、ライブシーンやストーリーシーンでのメンバーの動きは通常の動き（正回転）に見えるように撮影された。つまり、メンバーは逆回転の動きをして撮影を行っている[9][24][17]。そのため、砂時計のシーンでは砂が上に吸い込まれ、ストーリーシーンでは通常の動きをするメンバーの横をエキストラが後ろ向きに通り過ぎていくなど、違和感を覚えるような不思議な映像となっている[17]。この演出は「時の流れ」を意識させるものだとも報じられている[17]。
前述の通り、ライブシーンは2014年2月1日と2月2日に行われたナゴヤドームコンサートの最中に逆回転で撮影されているが、ライブ中に逆回転のパフォーマンスでMVの収録を行うのは"全てのアーティストを通して初めて"と報じられている[24]。この時ダンスの振りだけではなく歌（口の動き）も逆回転で収録している。つまり、逆回転映像に正回転音声（歌）を重ねた完成MVで歌と口の動きが一致するようになっている[24]。
MV公開にあたってのコメントで松井珠理奈は、「特に後ろ向きに走るのが大変だった」と、（ナゴヤドームでの）逆回転のダンスの練習に苦労したことを語っている。松井玲奈も、撮影に際して完成映像がどんな形になるのか分からず苦労したことを語り、完成映像は「不思議な映像」「面白いミュージックビデオになった」という[22]。MV公開を報じたBillboard JAPANの記事も、「錯覚を起こすようなユニークな仕上がり」と評している[21]。
「未来とは?」の振付師は牧野アンナが務めている[23]。
2014年3月1日にNHK総合（中部7県のみ）で生放送されたNHK名古屋放送局開局60周年記念番組『カンシャ カンレキ ナゴヤ☆スペシャルライブ』で初披露された。
また、2014年3月14日の『ミュージックステーション』でも披露されている[25][26]。
「未来とは?」は、ジーフットとSKE48のコラボレーションキャンペーン「SKE48×ASBee」のCM曲に使用されている[27]。また、GMOインターネットのドメイン名登録サービス「お名前.com」のCM「SKE48 .nagoya篇」のCM曲にも使用されている[28][29]。
| CD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 作詞 | 作曲 | 編曲 | 時間 | |||||
| 1. | 「未来とは?」 | 秋元康 | 山田巧 | 板垣祐介 | 4:59 | |||||
| 2. | 「GALAXY of DREAMS」 (GALAXY of DREAMS) | 秋元康 | Ryu | Han Jaewon | 3:26 | |||||
| 3. | 「Mayflower」 (九龍嬢) | 秋元康 | 鈴木キサブロー | 佐々木裕 | 4:23 | |||||
| 4. | 「未来とは? off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 5. | 「GALAXY of DREAMS off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 6. | 「Mayflower off vocal」 | |||||||||
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合計時間:
|
37:47 | |||||||||
| DVD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 時間 | ||||||||
| 1. | 「未来とは? Music Video」 | |||||||||
| 2. | 「未来とは? 〜2014.02.02 SKE党決起集会。「箱で推せ!」@ナゴヤドーム〜」 | |||||||||
| 3. | 「GALAXY of DREAMS Music Video」 | |||||||||
| 4. | 「特典映像I 研究生 「松村の相方探し企画」〜研究生にニセ催眠術師が初ドッキリ!〜」 | |||||||||
| CD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 作詞 | 作曲 | 編曲 | 時間 | |||||
| 1. | 「未来とは?」 | 秋元康 | 山田巧 | 板垣祐介 | 4:59 | |||||
| 2. | 「猫の尻尾がピンと立ってるように…feat. Bose（スチャダラパー）」 (Team S) | 秋元康、M.KOSHIMA（ラップ詞） | 古城康行 | 森谷敏紀 | 5:39 | |||||
| 3. | 「Mayflower」 (九龍嬢) | 秋元康 | 鈴木キサブロー | 佐々木裕 | 4:23 | |||||
| 4. | 「未来とは? off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 5. | 「猫の尻尾がピンと立ってるように…feat. Bose（スチャダラパー） off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 6. | 「Mayflower off vocal」 | |||||||||
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合計時間:
|
44:26 | |||||||||
| DVD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 時間 | ||||||||
| 1. | 「未来とは? Music Video」 | |||||||||
| 2. | 「未来とは? 〜2014.02.02 SKE党決起集会。「箱で推せ!」@ナゴヤドーム〜」 | |||||||||
| 3. | 「猫の尻尾がピンと立ってるように…feat. Bose（スチャダラパー） Music Video」 | |||||||||
| 4. | 「特典映像II Team S 「初めての女子会」〜メンバーの本音をプロファイリング〜」 | |||||||||
| CD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 作詞 | 作曲 | 編曲 | 時間 | |||||
| 1. | 「未来とは?」 | 秋元康 | 山田巧 | 板垣祐介 | 4:59 | |||||
| 2. | 「S子と嘘発見器」 (Team KII) | 秋元康 | 池澤聡 | 佐々木裕 | 3:19 | |||||
| 3. | 「Mayflower」 (九龍嬢) | 秋元康 | 鈴木キサブロー | 佐々木裕 | 4:23 | |||||
| 4. | 「未来とは? off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 5. | 「S子と嘘発見器 off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 6. | 「Mayflower off vocal」 | |||||||||
|
合計時間:
|
37:26 | |||||||||
| DVD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 時間 | ||||||||
| 1. | 「未来とは? Music Video」 | |||||||||
| 2. | 「未来とは? 〜2014.02.02 SKE党決起集会。「箱で推せ!」@ナゴヤドーム〜」 | |||||||||
| 3. | 「S子と嘘発見器 Music Video」 | |||||||||
| 4. | 「特典映像III Team KII 「フリースタイルRAPバトル with ダースレイダー」〜KIIメンバーが初ラップに挑戦〜」 | |||||||||
| CD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 作詞 | 作曲 | 編曲 | 時間 | |||||
| 1. | 「未来とは?」 | 秋元康 | 山田巧 | 板垣祐介 | 4:59 | |||||
| 2. | 「待ち合わせたい」 (Team E) | 秋元康 | 中川司 | 増田武史 | 4:34 | |||||
| 3. | 「Mayflower」 (九龍嬢) | 秋元康 | 鈴木キサブロー | 佐々木裕 | 4:23 | |||||
| 4. | 「未来とは? off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 5. | 「待ち合わせたい off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 6. | 「Mayflower off vocal」 | |||||||||
|
合計時間:
|
41:11 | |||||||||
| DVD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 時間 | ||||||||
| 1. | 「未来とは? Music Video」 | |||||||||
| 2. | 「未来とは? 〜2014.02.02 SKE党決起集会。「箱で推せ!」@ナゴヤドーム〜」 | |||||||||
| 3. | 「待ち合わせたい Music Video」 | |||||||||
| 4. | 「特典映像IV Team E「メンバーの中にいるヘタレーゼを探せ!」〜初めての裏切り〜」 | |||||||||
| CD | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | タイトル | 作詞 | 作曲 | 編曲 | 時間 | |||||
| 1. | 「未来とは?」 | 秋元康 | 山田巧 | 板垣祐介 | 4:59 | |||||
| 2. | 「僕らの絆」 | 佐藤実絵子 | 佐藤実絵子 | 野中“まさ”雄一 | 4:50 | |||||
| 3. | 「SKE48 14th Single Medley」 | |||||||||
| 4. | 「未来とは? off vocal」 | |||||||||
| 5. | 「僕らの絆 off vocal」 | |||||||||
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| [ヘルプ] |
| アーティスト | タイトル | タイプ | 発売元 | 発売日 | EAN(JAN)コード | RIAJ規格品番 |
| SKE48 | 「未来とは?」 | 初回盤A | avex trax | 2014年3月19日 | 4988064489107 | AVCD-48910/B |
| 初回盤B | 4988064489114 | AVCD-48911/B | ||||
| 初回盤C | 4988064489121 | AVCD-48912/B | ||||
| 初回盤D | 4988064489138 | AVCD-48913/B | ||||
| 通常盤A | 4988064489145 | AVCD-48914/B | ||||
| 通常盤B | 4988064489152 | AVCD-48915/B | ||||
| 通常盤C | 4988064489169 | AVCD-48916/B | ||||
| 通常盤D | 4988064489176 | AVCD-48917/B | ||||
| 劇場盤 | 4988064489183 | AVC1-48918 | ||||
| ミュージックカード | ― | AQZ1-76269 |
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Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall (1882)
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| Name: | Mayflower |
| Owner: | Christopher Jones (¼ of the ship) |
| Route: | numerous, but the most famous route is: Southampton to America |
| Maiden voyage: | Before 1609 |
| Out of service: | 1622–1624 |
| Fate: | most likely taken apart by Rotherhithe shipbreaker c.1624. |
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Dutch cargo fluyt |
| Tonnage: | 180 tons + |
| Length: | c. 80–90 ft. on deck, 100–110 ft. overall. |
| Decks: | Around 4 |
| Capacity: | Unknown, but carried c. 135 people during the historical voyage to what they would call Plymouth Colony |
The Mayflower was the ship that transported English Separatists, known today as the Pilgrims, from Plymouth in England to the New World[1][2] There were 102 passengers, and the crew is estimated to have been about thirty, but the exact number is unknown.[3] This voyage has become an iconic story in some of the earliest annals of American history, with its story of death and of survival in the harsh New England winter environment. The culmination of the voyage in the signing of the Mayflower Compact was an event which established a rudimentary form of democracy, with each member contributing to the welfare of the community.[4]
The Pilgrim ship Mayflower was a typical English merchant ship of the early 17th century – square-rigged and beak-bowed, with high, castle-like structures fore and aft that served to protect the ship's crew and the main deck from the elements. But having on her stern such structures as the 30-foot high, square aft-castle made the Mayflower extremely difficult to sail against the wind. This awkward superstructure configuration, making the Mayflower unable to sail well against the North Atlantic's prevailing Westerlies, especially in the Fall and Winter of 1620, was the direct cause of the ship's voyage from England to America taking over two months. The Mayflower 's return trip to London in April–May 1621, with the same strong winds following this time, took less than half that time.[5][6]
By 1620, the Mayflower was an aging ship, nearing the end of the usual working life of an English merchant ship in that era, some fifteen years. No dimensions of her hull can be stated exactly, since this was many years before such measurements were standardized. Probably Mayflower measured about 100 feet in length from the forward end at the beak of her prow to the tip of her stern superstructure aft. She was about 25 feet at her widest point, with about 12 feet of keel below the waterline. William Bradford estimated that Mayflower had a cargo volume of 180 tons, but he was not a mariner. What is known on the basis of records from that time that have survived is that she could certainly accommodate 180 casks of wine in her cargo hold. The casks were great barrels that each held hundreds of gallons of claret wine.[6]
This was a ship that traditionally was heavily armed while on trading routes around Europe, due to the possibility of encountering pirates and privateers of all types. And with its armament, the ship and crew could easily be conscripted by the English monarch at any time in case of conflict with other nations.[7]
The general layout of the ship was as follows:
Aft on the main deck in the stern was the cabin for Master Christopher Jones, measuring about ten by seven feet. Forward of that was the steerage room, which housed a whipstaff (tiller extension) for sailing control – not a wheel as in later ships. Also here was the ship's compass and probably also berths for the ship's officers. Forward of the steerage room was the capstan – a vertical axle used to pull in ropes or cables. Far forward on the main deck, just aft of the bow, was the forecastle space where the ship's cook prepared meals for the crew; it may also have been where the ship's sailors slept.[7]
Above the cabin of Master Jones, on the ship's highest level above the stern on the aft castle, was the poop deck, on which was the poop house, which may have been for passengers' use either for sleeping or cargo. On normal merchant ships this space was probably a chart room or a cabin for the master's mates.[9][10]
The gun deck was where the passengers resided during the voyage in a space measuring about fifty feet by twenty-five feet with a five-foot overhead (ceiling). But it was also a dangerous place in conflict, as it had port and starboard gun ports from which cannon could be run out to fire on the enemy. In the stern area of the gun deck was the gun room, to which passengers had no access due to it being the storage space for powder and ammunition for the ship's cannons and any other guns or weapons belonging to the ship. The gun room might also house a pair of 'stern chasers' – small cannons used to fire out the stern of the ship. Forward on the gun deck in the bow area was a windlass – equipment similar in function to the capstan in steerage – which was used to raise and lower the ship's main anchor. There was no stairs for the passengers on the gun deck to go up through the gratings to the main deck. To get up to the main deck, passengers were required to climb a wooden or rope ladder.[9][10]
There was no facility for a latrine or privy on the Mayflower and ship's crew had to fend for themselves in that regard. Gun deck passengers most likely used a bucket-turned-chamber pot affixed to the deck or bulkhead to keep it from being jostled at sea.[10][11]
The largest gun was a minion cannon, which was brass, weighed about 1,200 pounds, and could shoot a 3.5 pound cannonball almost a mile. The Mayflower also had on board a saker cannon of about 800 pounds, and two base cannons that weighed about 200 pounds which shot a 3 to 5 ounce ball. She carried at least ten pieces of ordnance on the port and starboard sides of her gun deck – seven cannons for long range purposes and three smaller guns often fired from the stern at close quarters that were filled with musket balls. Later at New Plymouth, Mayflower Master Jones unloaded four of the pieces to help fortify the colony against invaders and would not have done so unless he was comfortable with the armament he still had on board.[6]
Below the gun deck was the cargo hold where the passengers kept most of their food stores and other supplies. Other items included most of their clothing and bedding. The hold also stored the passengers' personal weapons and military equipment – armor, muskets, gunpowder and shot, as well as swords and bandoliers. Also all the tools the Pilgrims would need, as well as all the equipment and utensils needed to prepare meals in the New World. It is also known that some Pilgrims such as Allerton and Mullins, and possibly others, loaded trade goods on board, with these also most likely being stored in the cargo hold.[11]
When and where the Mayflower of the Pilgrim voyage of 1620 was built is not known, but it is likely that she was launched at Harwich in the county of Essex, England, and although later known "of London", she was designated as "of Harwich" in the Port Books of 1609–11. Harwich was the birthplace of Mayflower master Christopher Jones about 1570.[12]
Since Captain Jones became master eleven years prior to the Mayflower Pilgrims' voyage, the ship had sailed cross-Channel taking English woolens to France and bringing French wine to London. In addition to wine and wool, Jones had transported hats, hemp, Spanish salt, hops and vinegar to Norway and may have taken the Mayflower whaling in the North Atlantic in the Greenland area. She had traveled to Mediterranean ports, being then owned by Christopher Nichols, Robert Child, Thomas Short, and Christopher Jones, the ship's master. In 1620 Jones and Robert Child still owned their quarter shares in the ship, and it was from them that Thomas Weston chartered her in the summer of 1620 to undertake the Pilgrim voyage. Weston had a significant role in the Mayflower voyage due to his membership of the Company of Merchant Adventurers, and he eventually traveled to the Plymouth Colony himself.[5][13][14]
From the Port Books of England in the reign of James I (1603–1625), there were twenty-six vessels bearing the same name as the Pilgrim ship, and the reason for this popularity of the name has never been found.[15]
One particular Mayflower that has caused historical confusion is a Mayflower erroneously identified as the Mayflower of the 1620 Pilgrims. This ship was partly owned by John Vassall and was outfitted for Queen Elizabeth in 1588, during the time of the Spanish Armada, a war for which Vassal outfitted several ships. However, there are no records of Vassall's Mayflower after 1594.[16]
From records of the time, and to avoid confusion with the many other Mayflower ships, the identity of Captain Jones's Mayflower is based on her home port, her tonnage (est. 180–200 tons), and the master's name in 1620.[15]
Records dating from August 1609 first note Christopher Jones as master and part owner of the Mayflower, when his ship was chartered for a voyage from London to Trondheim in Norway and back to London. Due to bad weather, on her return, the ship lost an anchor and made short delivery of her cargo of herrings. Litigation resulted, and this was still proceeding in 1612.
In a document of January 1611, Christopher Jones is described as being "of Harwich", and his ship is called the Mayflower of Harwich (in the county of Essex). Records of Jones's ship Mayflower show the ship was twice on the Thames at London in 1613 – once in July and again in October and November.
Records of 1616 again state that Jones's ship was on the Thames, carrying a cargo of wine, which suggests the ship had recently been on a voyage to France, Spain, Portugal, the Canaries, or some other wine-producing land.
After 1616, there is no further record which specifically relates to Jones's Mayflower until 1624. This is unusual for a ship trading to London, as it would not usually disappear for such a long time from the records. And no Admiralty court document relating to the pilgrim fathers' voyage of 1620 can be found, although the unusual way in which the transfer of the pilgrims from Leyden to New England was arranged may account for this. Or some of the records of the period may have been lost.
The Mayflower embarked about sixty-five passengers in London at its homeport in the Rotherhithe district on the Thames about the middle of July in 1620. She then proceeded down the Thames into the English Channel and then on to the south coast to anchor at Southampton Water. There the Mayflower waited for seven days for a rendezvous on July 22 with the Speedwell, coming with Leiden church members from Delfshaven Holland.
About August 5, the two ships set sail. The unseaworthy Speedwell sprang a leak shortly after and the ships put into Dartmouth for repairs. After the repairs, a new start was made. They were more than two hundred miles beyond Land's End at the southwestern tip of England when Speedwell sprang another leak. Since it was now early September, they had no choice but to abandon the Speedwell and make a determination on her passengers. This was a dire event, as the ship had wasted vital funds and was considered very important to the future success of their settlement in America. Soon after the Mayflower continued on her voyage to America, Speedwell was sold, refitted, and, according to Bradford, "made many voyages…to the great profit of her owners." Bradford later assumed that the Speedwell master Mr. Reynolds's "cunning and deceit" (in causing what may have been 'man-made' leaks in the ship) had been motivated by a fear of starving to death in America.[17]
In addition to the 102 passengers, the officers and crew consisted of about 25–30 persons, bringing the total persons on board the Mayflower to approximately one hundred and thirty.[18]
In early September, western gales begin to make the North Atlantic a dangerous place for sailing. The Mayflower's provisions, already quite low when departing Southampton, became much less by delays of more than of a month, and the passengers, having been aboard ship for all this time, were quite worn out by then and in no condition for a very taxing lengthy Atlantic journey cooped up in cramped spaces in a small ship. But on September 6, 1620, the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth with what Bradford called "a prosperous wind".[19]
Traditionally, the last port in England for the Mayflower was Plymouth; however, there is continued controversy that the ship had to stop at Newlyn in Cornwall on the Land's End peninsula before sailing west. It was believed that the water picked up at Plymouth had caused fever and cholera in the city, so Newlyn provided fresh water to the ship. Newlyn has a plaque to this effect on the side of a building on its quay. It was erected in remembrance of Plymouth historian Bill Best Harris, whose research is believed to have uncovered this little-known detail about the voyage.[20][21]
Aboard the Mayflower were many stores that supplied the pilgrims with the essentials needed for their journey and future lives. It is assumed that among these stores, they would have carried tools and weapons, including cannon, shot, and gunpowder; as well as some live animals, including dogs, sheep, goats, and poultry. Horses and cattle would come later. The Mayflower would also carry two boats: a long boat and a "shallop", a twenty-one foot boat powered by oars or sails. She also carried twelve artillery pieces (eight minions and four sakers), as the Pilgrims feared they might need to defend themselves against enemy European forces, as well as the Natives.[22]
The passage was a miserable one, with huge waves constantly crashing against the ship's topside deck until a key structural support timber fractured. The passengers, who had already suffered agonizing delays, shortages of food and of other supplies, now were called upon to provide assistance to the ship's carpenter in repairing the fractured main support beam. This was repaired with the use of a metal mechanical device called a jackscrew, which had been loaded on board to help in the construction of settler homes and now was used to secure the beam to keep it from cracking further, making the ship seaworthy enough.[22][23]
The crew of the Mayflower had some devices to assist them en route such as a compass for navigation as well as a log and line system to measure speed in nautical miles per hour or "knots". Time was measured with an ancient method – an hour glass.
There were two deaths, but this was only a precursor of what happened after their arrival in Cape Cod, where almost half the company would die in the first winter.[24]
On November 9, 1620, they sighted land, which was present-day Cape Cod. After several days of trying to sail south to their planned destination of the Colony of Virginia where they had already obtained permission from the Company of Merchant Adventurers to settle, strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbor at Cape Cod hook, well north of the intended area,[25] where they anchored on November 11. To establish legal order and to quell increasing strife within the ranks, the settlers wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact after the ship dropped anchor at Cape Cod, in what is now Provincetown Harbor.[24][26][27][28]
On Monday November 27, an exploring expedition was launched under the direction of Capt. Christopher Jones to search for a suitable settlement site. As master of the Mayflower, Jones was not required to assist in the search, but he apparently thought it in his best interest to assist the search expedition. There were thirty-four persons in the open shallop – twenty-four passengers and ten sailors. They were obviously not prepared for the bitter winter weather they encountered on their reconnoiter, the Mayflower passengers not being accustomed to winter weather much colder than back home. Due to the bad weather encountered on the expedition, they were forced to spend the night ashore ill-clad in below-freezing temperatures with wet shoes and stockings that became frozen. Bradford wrote "(s)ome of our people that are dead took the original of their death here".[29]
The settlers explored the snow-covered area and discovered an empty native village, now known as Corn Hill in Truro. The curious settlers dug up some artificially made mounds, some of which stored corn, while others were burial sites. Nathaniel Philbrick claims that the settlers stole the corn and looted and desecrated the graves,[30] sparking friction with the locals.[31] Philbrick goes on to say that, as they moved down the coast to what is now Eastham, they explored the area of Cape Cod for several weeks, looting and stealing native stores as they went.[32] He then writes about how they decided to relocate to Plymouth after a difficult encounter with the local native, the Nausets, at First Encounter Beach, in December 1620.
However, Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation records that they took "some" of the corn to show the others back at the boat, leaving the rest. Then later they took what they needed from another store of grain, paying the locals back in six months, and it was gladly received.
Also there was found more of their corn and of their beans of various colors; the corn and beans they brought away, purposing to give them full satisfaction when they should meet with any of them as, about some six months afterward they did, to their good content.[33]
During the winter, the passengers remained on board the Mayflower, suffering an outbreak of a contagious disease described as a mixture of scurvy, pneumonia and tuberculosis. When it ended, there were only 53 passengers, just over half, still alive. Likewise, half of the crew died as well. In the spring, they built huts ashore, and on March 21, 1621, the surviving passengers disembarked from the Mayflower.
Due to the fear of Indian attack, in late February 1621 the settlers decided to mount "our great ordnances" on the hill overlooking the settlement. Christopher Jones supervised the transportation of the "great guns" – about six iron cannons that ranged between four and eight feet in length and weighed almost half a ton. The cannon were able to hurl iron balls 3 ½ inches in diameter as far as 1,700 yards. This action made what was no more than a ramshackle village almost into a well-defended fortress.[34]
Jones had originally planned to return to England as soon as the Pilgrims found a settlement site. But after his crew members began to be ravaged by the same diseases that were felling the Pilgrims, he realized he had to remain in Plymouth Harbor "till he saw his men began to recover."[35] The Mayflower lay in New Plymouth harbor through the winter of 1620–1. On April 5, 1621 the Mayflower, her empty hold ballasted with stones from the Plymouth Harbor shore, set sail for England. As with the Pilgrims, her sailors had been decimated by disease. Jones had lost his boatswain, his gunner, three quartermasters, the cook, and more than a dozen sailors. The Mayflower made excellent time on her voyage back to England. The westerlies that had buffeted her coming out pushed her along going home and she arrived at the home port of Rotherhithe in London on May 6, 1621,[36] – less than half the time it had taken her to sail to America."[37]
Jones died after coming back from a voyage to France on March 5, 1622, at about age 52. It is suggested that his journey to the New World may have taken its toll on him. For the next two years, the Mayflower lay at her berth in Rotherhithe, not far from the grave of Captain Jones at St. Mary's church there. By 1624, the Mayflower was no longer useful as a ship and although her subsequent fate is unknown, she was probably broken up about that time. The Mayflower was the final casualty of a voyage that had cost her master, Christopher Jones, everything he could give.[38]
Some families traveled together, while some men came alone, leaving families in England and Leiden. Two wives on board were pregnant – Elizabeth Hopkins gave birth to a son Oceanus while at sea and Susanna White gave birth to a son Peregrine in late November while the ship was anchored in Cape Cod Harbor. He is historically recognized as the first European child born in the New England area. One child died during the voyage, and there was one stillbirth during the construction of the colony.
Many of the passengers were Separatists, fleeing persistent religious persecution, but some were hired hands, servants, or farmers recruited by London merchants, all originally destined for the Colony of Virginia. Four of this latter group of passengers were small children given into the care of Mayflower pilgrims as indentured servants. The Virginia Company began the transportation of children in 1618.[39] Until relatively recently, the children were thought to be orphans, foundlings or involuntary child labor. At that time, children were routinely rounded up from the streets of London or taken from poor families receiving church relief to be used as laborers in the colonies. Any legal objections to the involuntary transportation of the children were over-ridden by the Privy Council.[40][41] In 1959 it was conclusively shown[42] that the four More children were sent to America because they were deemed illegitimate, and a source of later historical controversy in England. Three of the four children died in the first winter in the New World, but the survivor, Richard More, lived to be approximately 81, dying in Salem, probably in 1695 or 1696.[43]
The passengers mostly slept and lived in the low-ceilinged great cabins. These cabins were thin-walled and extremely cramped. The cabin area was 25 feet by 15 at its largest, and on the main deck, which was 75 by 20 at the most. Below decks, any person over five feet tall would be unable to stand up straight. The maximum possible space for each person would have been slightly less than the size of a standard single bed.[44] The Mayflower passengers were the earliest permanent European settlers in New England, referring to themselves as "First Comers". They lived in the perilous times of what was called "The Ancient Beginnings" of the New World adventure.[45]
Passengers would pass the time by reading by candlelight or playing cards and games like Nine Men's Morris.[22] Meals on board were cooked by the firebox, which was an iron tray with sand in it on which a fire was built. This was risky because it was kept in the waist of the ship. Passengers made their own meals from rations that were issued daily and food was cooked for a group at a time.[44]
Upon arrival late in the year, the harsh climate and scarcity of fresh food caused many more deaths. Due to the delay in departure, provisions were short. Living in these extremely close and crowded quarters, several passengers experienced scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of the essential nutrient vitamin C. There was no way to store fruits or vegetables without their becoming rotten, so many passengers did not receive enough nutrients in their diets. Passengers with scurvy experienced symptoms such as rotten teeth, which would fall out; bleeding gums, and stinking breath.[46]
Passengers consumed large amounts of alcohol such as beer with meals which was known to be safer than water, which often came from polluted sources causing diseases. All food and drink was stored in barrels known as "hogsheads".[46]
William Mullins took 126 pairs of shoes and 13 pairs of boots. These clothes included: oiled leather and canvas suits, stuff gowns and leather and stuff breeches, shirts, jerkins, doublets, neckcloths, hats and caps, hose, stockings, belts, piece goods, and haberdasherie. At his death, Mullins estate consisting of extensive footwear and other items of clothing made his daughter Priscilla and her husband John Alden quite prosperous.[22][47][48]
No cattle or beasts of draft or burden were brought on the journey, but there were pigs, goats, and poultry. Some passengers brought family pets such as cats and birds. Peter Browne took his large bitch mastiff and John Goodman brought along his spaniel.[22]
Per author Charles Banks, the officers and crew of the Mayflower consisted of a captain, four mates, four quartermasters, surgeon, carpenter, cooper, cooks, boatswains, gunners and about thirty-six men before the mast, making a total of about 50. The entire crew stayed with the Mayflower in Plymouth through the winter of 1620–1621. During that time, about half of the crew died. The crewmen that survived returned on the Mayflower which sailed for London on April 5, 1621.[49][50]
Banks also states the crew totaled 36 men before the mast and 14 officers, making a total of 50. Author Nathaniel Philbrick estimates between 20 and 30 sailors in her crew whose names are unknown. Author Nick Bunker states that Mayflower had a crew that was at least seventeen in number and possibly as many as thirty. Author Caleb Johnson states that the ship carried a crew of about thirty men, but the exact number is unknown.[3][51][52][53]
On May 4, 1624, two years after Captain Jones' death in 1622, an application was made to the Admiralty court for an appraisal of the Mayflower by three of her owners including Jones' widow, Mrs. Josian (Joan) Jones. This appraisal probably was made to determine the valuation of the ship for the purpose of settling the estate of its late master. The appraisal was made by four mariners and shipwrights of Rotherhithe, home and burial place of Captain Jones, where the Mayflower was apparently then lying in the Thames at London. The appraisement is extant and provides information on ship's gear on board at that time as well as equipment such as muskets and other arms. The ship may have been laid up since Jones' death and allowed to get out of repair, as that is what the appraisal indicates.[15][77]
What finally became of the Mayflower is an unsettled issue. Per Banks, an English historian of the Pilgrim ship, claims that this historic ship was finally broken up, with her timbers used in the construction of a barn at Jordans village in Buckinghamshire. At the present time, within the grounds of Old Jordan in South Buckinghamshire is what tradition calls the Mayflower Barn. In 1624 Thomas Russell supposedly added to part of a farmhouse already there with timbers from a ship, believed to be from the Pilgrim ship "Mayflower", bought from a shipbreaker's yard in Rotherhithe. The well-preserved structure is a present-day tourist attraction, receiving visitors each year from all over the world and particularly from America.[15]
Another ship called the Mayflower made a voyage from London to Plymouth Colony in 1629 carrying 35 passengers, many from the Pilgrim congregation in Leiden that organized the first voyage. This was not the same ship that made the original voyage with the first settlers. This voyage began in May and reached Plymouth in August. This ship also made the crossing from England to America in 1630, 1633, 1634, and 1639. It attempted the trip again in 1641, departing London in October of that year under master John Cole, with 140 passengers bound for Virginia. It never arrived. On October 18, 1642 a deposition was made in England regarding the loss.[78]
The Pilgrim ship Mayflower has a famous place in American history as a symbol of early European colonization of the future United States.[79]
The main record for the voyage of the Mayflower and the disposition of the Plymouth Colony comes from the letters and journal of William Bradford, who was a guiding force and later the governor of the colony.
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