The bilgewater around the pumps was also the most noxious to be found anywhere on the ship, and sailors retched from the stench. Despite the various hardships involved with operating the pumps, they were an absolute necessity at sea; without them, ships slowly took on water till they sank, and operating them exhausted teams of able-bodied seamen. It was not unheard-of for mariners to collapse and die during the ordeal of working the pump to save a ship.
