kid
A small wooden mess tub in which sailors received their food.
kid: a wooden tub that fed the crew
A kid is a cylindrical wooden mess tub, typically made from pine or oak staves bound with iron hoops, used aboard ship to serve and store food for sailors. The standard kid measured roughly 16 to 20 inches in diameter and held enough salt pork, hardtack, or stew for a mess group of four to eight men. Each mess shared one kid, which was lowered into the galley to be filled by the cook at mealtimes, then carried to the crew's eating space, whether the berthing deck or the open deck in fair weather.
The kid's wooden construction made it lighter and more durable than metal for shipboard use. Iron hoops prevented the staves from splitting under the stress of seawater saturation and rough handling. A rope handle, either knotted through the staves or attached to the rim, allowed crews to carry the tub even when full and heavy. The wood absorbed moisture and flavors from years of use, which sailors accepted as part of the maritime diet.
Larger kids, called harness casks or harness tubs, held salt beef or pork for an entire crew section and remained in the galley or storeroom. Smaller wooden vessels called piggins or cans served similar purposes for drinking water or individual portions. The kid remained standard aboard merchant and naval vessels well into the age of steam, and examples survive in maritime museums.
The term appears in ship's articles and provisions logs dating to the 17th century, though the vessel itself is older. The word's origin is uncertain but may derive from the Dutch kid or an Old English root for a small container. Slang usage grew among sailors: a 'kid' could also refer to a young sailor or apprentice, though this sense emerged later and was less formal.
In a shipyard or during restoration, original kids are sometimes reconstructed from pine stock for historical accuracy or museum interpretation. They represent a practical solution to feeding large groups with limited space and equipment, and their design changed little across centuries of maritime work because the constraints of ship life remained constant.