NAUTICAL MILE
P U B L I C A T I O N S
Great Ships
of our Past
Capt. George Howell
The Carrack
The Carrack was the first style of true ocean-going ships. Developed in the Mediterranean
during the 15th century, it was well suited for making long voyages, as it was stable
enough to handle rough seas, and large enough to carry provisions for extended trips.
In fact, they are the ships the Portuguese and Spanish used to explore the world
in the 15th and 16th centuries. The most famous was perhaps the Santa Maria, which
Christopher Columbus used to sail to the Americas in 1492.
Carracks were great transport ships, able to carry crew, provisions, and cargo. This
made it possible for them to by-pass normal stopping points at port, and take the
most direct route. With such size, they had no problem defending themselves from
smaller craft, which were common problems during their time. An aftcastle was present
in the stern, which provided a good elevated position from which to defend the ship.
The large stable decks also made a good place for guns, which bolstered its defensive
abilities.
3 to 4 masts provided for some flexibility on the water, allowing speed as well as
some maneuverability, with the ability to ride out rough storms. It was square-rigged
on the foremast and mainmast, and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast. The large square
sails provided all the propulsion necessary, but were not used during rough winds
to make the ship more stable. The fore and aft sails were great for maneuverability.
As different countries and shipbuilders developed new ideas, the Carrack led way to several more types of ships. Some were built specifically for war and some for transporting cargo. Stay tuned next month as we take a look at another of the great ships to sail the seven seas.
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The Caravel
Last month I wrote about the Carrack, which was a state of the art, large, fully
rigged ship of the 15th century. It was widely used by the Spanish and Portuguese
for long-range exploration. Christopher Columbus sailed to America in a Carrack
called the Santa Maria. Two other ships accompanied him on this voyage, the Pinta
and the Nina were caravels much more adapt at exploring shallow waters and tight
rivers on the expedition.
Although the Carrack was one of the best ship types of the day, the caravel became very important due to its maneuverability in rivers and shallow waters. As the Spanish and Portuguese began to explore the African coast as well as the Atlantic Ocean, they depended heavily on the caravel. It was economical to build, light, and very fast, making it perfect for venturing into unknown waters. As new trade routes were established, the caravel gave way to ships able to carry more cargo.
Most caravels were 60 to 80 feet long, weighing around 50 tons, and able to accommodate around 20 sailors. They were usually equipped with two masts, until later in the 15th century when they became common with 3, similar to the Carrack. It lacked the high forecastle, and had little of a sterncastle. These structures were common on the Carrack as they provided a superior defensive position when enemy attackers were boarding the ship. Such boardings were common in sea combat before ships became larger and more heavily armed.
Such boardings were common in sea combat before ships became larger and more heavily armed.
On his voyage to America, Christopher Columbus had a small fleet, but perfect ships of the day for exploring a new world. As new lands were found, and knowledge of the new world increased, Carracks and caravels eventually gave way cheaper, more heavily armed ships such as the galleon. Stay tuned next month as we take a look at the versatile galleon, the main ship present in the Spanish Armada and its opposition.
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The Galleon
As Europeans began longer sea voyages in the 16th to 18th centuries, the galleon
became the most relied upon ship of the day. These large multi-decked ships were
faster and more stable than it’s predecessors, the Carrack and the caravel.
The galleon evolved over the years, and even singles ships were refitted and altered for trade or battle depending on a countries needs. Rigging of the sails became more advanced, as sailors often perished on long journeys, and the need to sail ships with smaller crews became necessary. Also, cannons became more powerful and accurate, making the practice of boarding ships during battle less frequent. Because of this, the fore and aft castles, which provided strategic defense against invaders, were minimized. By reducing their size, and elongating the hull, the galleon became faster than other large ships of its time.
Although large ships, most galleons were smaller than Carracks, making them more affordable and numerous. Some were extremely large such as the Manila galleons, which sailed across the Pacific Ocean from Mexico to the Philippines. These large cargo ships reached sizes of 2000 tons, about 4 times the size of most galleons.
Most ships present from Spain and England during the 1588 Spanish Armada were galleons. The English models were more agile and fast, while the Spanish versions larger and durable, having originally been designed as transports for long voyages.
Whether they were designed as cargo transports or war ships, galleons were usually armed with medium sized cannons. Often, countries built galleons as transports, although when captured by another country they were usually put into military service.
Eventually galleons led the way to the large, cannon yielding ships of the line. Check back next month as we take a look at the way these warships faced off in battle and changed the way battles were fought at sea.
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Ships of the Line
The early 17th century was a turning point for warfare at sea. With the development of more powerful cannons, the practice of “boarding” another boat during battle became almost obsolete. Now fighting was done from a distance, as ships were able to fire guns farther and more accurately, while at the same time inflicting more damage than before. This change in battle not only affected the strategies of ships in combat, but their design as well.
Before the use of larger cannons, warships were constructed with raised platforms, or “castles” on the front and rear of the deck. These castles were strategic defensive positions for ships in close combat. From them, archers could easily fire arrows down at an opposing ship. Also, once a ship was boarded, it provided a better position for soldiers to defend against invaders. With larger, more powerful guns aboard, these bulky castles were no longer needed, and ships built without them were more stable and maneuverable at sea.
Cannons were now positioned broadside along a ship, usually on two decks, one atop the other. Some larger ships contained three decks, and although slower, served as command ships overseeing fleets with as many as one hundred vessels. The objective in battle was to position a ship broadside to an enemy, allowing the full side of cannons to fire directly at their target. Because of this, fleets of ships would position themselves in a long, single file line, so that they could all fire their broadside guns without worry of hitting a friendly vessel. Ships that were large and powerful enough to hold their place in line, without being a weak link, were called “ships of the line”. They ranged in size, but the most common ship became the “74”, named after the number of cannons aboard. The 74’s were about 150 feet long, with a crew of over 300!
French ship builders commonly produced the newest, most advanced design. However, English sailors were better trained, spending more time at sea and usually well taken care of compared to those of other countries. As English ships captured new French designs, they were able to build and modify their own, and eventually established themselves as the dominant navy in Europe.
Ships of the line were the mainstay in navies for over 200 years, until the middle 1800’s, when steam power, and then ironclad vessels became the predecessor of modern day battleships.
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The Viking Long Ship
Vikings are well known for their toughness and thought of as raiders and looters of civilizations. However, they were very adept at traveling at sea, and living around the 8th to 11th century was a tough life in many parts of the world. The waters off northern Europe were cold and often hostile. Vikings used several sizes of boats that were both seaworthy, and able to float in shallow water, making them able to run aground without the use of deep harbors.
The most notorious of these boats was the longship. Although only a few of these ancient ships have been recovered, they were typically between 55 and 120 feet long. Primarily used as warships, they were also used as trade vessels, and in exploration of new lands. Like most Viking ships they were double ended, enabling them to change directions quickly without turning around. There was no shelter or seats. Crew members rowed the great ships while sitting on storage chests instead. Later longships were equipped with a single square sail, which helped the rowers over long journeys.
Longships were often decorated with elaborate figures on the bow, such as dragons or snakes. The purpose of these figures was probably to frighten townspeople or other enemies. They also helped earn the name “dragon ships” for this style of longboat. Simple and effective, the Vikings would usually travel down shorelines during the day and run ashore to camp at night until reaching their destination. With the ability to beach the vessel on pretty much any shoreline, they were perfect for raiding near shore villages and towns.
Vikings also used these large boats to travel long distances on open water. With only primitive navigation, their long voyages were very impressive. It is believed they even crossed to North America long before Christopher Columbus. They kept lookout for birds, the smell of land, the sun and stars to find their way. They also kept ravens on board and would release them, taking note of the direction the bird traveled when released to determine possible routes to land. From the little recorded history we have of their ships, they may be most remembered as barbarians and plunderers, but the Vikings were great ship builders during their day and achieved many feats of sea travel long before the rest of Europe.
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More Great Ships, by Capt. Chris Stanford
U.S.S. Constitution
Jim from the Mile and I ran into each other and after some conversation on history
and ships he allowed that he’d be interested in having me contribute a column on
a different historic ship each month. After having spent many a cast of the rod contemplating
which ship to inaugurate the column with; I decided the U.S.S. Constitution would
be the most fitting. Especially as I sit to write and note that the date is 9/10.
The U.S.S. Constitution, “Old Ironsides”, is the oldest commissioned ship afloat;
which means she is still a member of the US Navy and crewed by active duty sailors.
The HMS Victory is certainly older, but the Victory is permanently dry-docked. The
Constitution was commissioned on October 21, 1797 as the third ship of a group of
ships authorized by Congress and the original “GW”, President George Washington.
She distinguished herself in at least three international altercations, a quasi war
with France, the first war with the Barbary States, and the war of 1812. She was
designed by a Philadelphia Quacker Josiah Humphreys to be a heavy frigate.
Strong enough to protect our growing merchant shipping, yet fast enough to keep ahead of a much larger ship. Her hull as far as my research has found is predominantly constructed of hardy and resilient Live Oak. Cut and milled at Gascoigne Bluff on St Simons Island Ga. If any of you readers have ever tried to split Live Oak you know what I mean by “resilient.” Her skeleton is made of a unique diagonal cross bracing and covered with planks up to seven inches thick. Her copper fasteners and sheathing was provided by Paul Revere. Truly it can be said that she is our national ship. Once commissioned she patrolled the eastern US, and the Caribbean taking the fight to the enemy by seizing French privateers and liberating some of our shipping from the same privateers and then it seems we were having a bit of trouble with the Islamic city states of Tunis, Algiers, Morocco, and Tripoli. These city states had a group of maritime thugs known as the Barbary Pirates.
They routinely harassed our merchant fleet, seized our ships and crew, and then forced them into slavery until we could pay the ransom. If that wasn’t enough; we then had to pay tribute to keep it from continuing. Tribute = extortion. As usual when dealing with these types conceding only leads to more of the same. Before Thomas Jefferson became president he argued that the only way to deal with this was through force and ultimately he proved to be correct. Incidentally Jefferson and John Adams traveled to London in an attempt to negotiate with Tripoli’s ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman. They asked him, “By what right do you extort money and take slaves”?
Jefferson reported to Secretary of State John Jay that the ambassador answered that their right was founded on the Laws of the Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners. Eventually when Jefferson was elected president, he sent the Constitution as flagship of a Mediterranean taskforce to deal with the situation and once again take the fight to the enemy.
Then in the war of 1812 Old Ironsides earned her nickname during the battle with the HMS Guerriere. It’s been reported that some of the crew witnessed British shot actually bounce off the hull. This of course led to her being fondly named “Old Ironsides”. During the course of the war she defeated 5 British men of war, and scuttled 12 British merchant ships. The Constitution and her sister ships distinguished themselves and gave hope and pride to our fledgling nation. She eventually made cruises in the Pacific, Caribbean, the coasts of Africa, and the Atlantic flying “Old Glory” and letting the world know that we are here.
The USS Constitution can still be toured and if you’d like to learn more or schedule a trip you can access her official website at www.ussconstitution.navy.mil
Ordered – 1794
Laid down – summer of 1795
Commissioned Oct 21, 1797
Displacement – 2200 tons
Length – 204 foot
Beam – 43.5 ft
Draught – 14.3 ft
Propulsion – Sail, three masts, ship rigged
Speed 13kt
Crew – 450
Armament
30 – 24 pounder long guns on the gun deck
20 – 32 pounder carronades on the spar deck
and 2 – 24 pounder long guns as bow chasers
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The Bermuda Sloop
Hello again Mile Readers! This month's article is about what has become one of my
personal favorite historical vessels. As the title leads to, the Bermuda Sloop. In
my opinion a very aesthetically pleasing vessel. Typically a sloop will be described
as a single masted vessel with either square or fore and aft sails including a large
gaff rigged spanker, (kinda like the sound of that), and often a jib-boom on the
fixed bowsprit. The bowsprit typically has a sharp upward incline. With that said
you could describe many sloops but what makes this one special is that is that it
was designed for open ocean travel, it had a relatively deep hull, optimized for
speed, but was a demanding craft to sail. She was easily swamped in rough weather,
carried no fixed ballast which allowed a large cargo. She was typically made from
Bermuda cedars which had superior rot resistance low weight or density but high strength.
A bit like a true sports car which can be a bit demanding to drive but gets where
its going quick.
During wartime, much of Bermuda's merchant fleet turned to privateering, a lucrative
activity to which the fast sloops were well-endowed. They often carried sufficient
crew out to return with several prizes, and these extra crew were useful both as
movable ballast, and in handling the labour-intensive sloops. Piracy and privateering
was a large problem for mariners of all nations during the 17th and 18th centuries
but was also a widely popular enterprise. Bermudan mariners excelled at the activity,
thanks largely to the speed, especially to windward, and maneuverability of the Bermuda
sloops, which was suited well to the role. The same abilities allowed Bermuda sloops
to escape from better-armed privateers - and, even more so, to escape from larger
men-of-war, which, with their ship rigged or square rigged sails, could not sail
as close to the wind. The ability of the sloop rig in general to sail upwind meant
a Bermuda sloop could outrun most other sailing ships by simply turning upwind and
leaving its pursuers foundering in its wake.
This evasiveness meant they were highly prized amongst merchantmen. Of course, these qualities also made Bermuda sloops the ship of choice for the pirates themselves, earlier in the 18th Century, as well as for smugglers. After we won independence from Great Britain the British built up their naval presence in Bermuda and became so impressed by these vessels they commissioned Bermuda ship builder to build what they came to rate as sloops of war.
The war of 1812 was what you might call the hey day of Bermuda privateering. Of side, however during that relatively short conflict Bermudian privateers captured 298 ships. I imagine they didn't expect us to win, nor did they expect the formidableness of ships like the U.S.S. Constellation and Constitution which were made from good ole coastal southern live oak.
At any rate a truly remarkable
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The Corvette
Hello all! If I say the word Corvette and ask for a response I’m sure I will get any number of descriptions. Basically however, I’m sure the response will almost always be about a two door sports car with convertible top, or not, a particular model and or some mention of fiberglass and engine size. For some the design that comes to mind will be the more boxy original shape but for most it will be the sleeker more modern shape. This is probably why “Corvette” is a fitting name for this car. The Corvette was originally an unrated smaller ship of war and today even it still refers to a type of ship.
The earliest mention of Corvette (according to The Book of Old Ships, Culver, Henry B.) was somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500 in parts of Flanders, near the French border. Originally Corve, and was described as small single masted with one stay sail and was propelled by oars and sail. This through the years then evolved into a small unrated ship having the general build of a frigate. The USN (go blue and gold), and the RN used a similar design but referred to them as sloops of war. This design could be found throughout the world, fighting pirates off the coast of Africa, in the Caribbean, coastal patrol, reconnaissance missions, or just simply showing the flag somewhere.
During the age of sail Corvettes were distinguished by their comparatively low freeboard, and the absence of a high quarterdeck. Most of the 17th century were roughly 40 to 60 feet in length, 40 to 70 tons, and carried four or more guns. As time went by the Corvette grew but seems to have kept a basic shape. During the 1800’s the design grew to over a hundred feet and one of the largest ships of the time that could be called a Corvette was the U.S.S. Constellation. She was 176 feet and carried 24 guns. As the steam era began Corvettes maintained their historical missions and fit many of the missions required in a colonial world. However the Corvette did not end there, World Wars I and II saw the heavy use of submarines and the now trusty Corvette was a good match for these convoy hunters of the deep. Probably one of the most successful designs of this time was the Australian Bathurst class and was somewhere in the range of 186 feet, had a cruising speed of 15 knots, a crew of 85, and carried one four inch main gun, a 40mm bofors AA gun, three 20mm guns and up to 40 depth charges, or some variation of that. 60 of these were built and served in both theaters during WWII.
Today the Corvette is once again growing in popularity as naval conflict is occurring more often than not in littoral waters and the need for a cost effective, fast, smaller, and more maneuverable vessel has become apparent.
Some of the countries operating Corvettes today are Germany, India, China, Israel, Poland, Turkey, Greece, Sweden and Russia. Some of these are very capable warships, with modern stealth technology, heavily armed, and fast. Our navy is also developing a ship of this type, but instead of having a cool name like Corvette we thought of something better; The Littoral Combat Ship.
At any rate, today’s maritime environment seems to be changing where crews and commanders are tasked with a wider variety of missions and it appears that the Corvette is still the design that meets the need.
So next time someone mentions Corvette, don’t think of a car, but imagine the sound of wind moaning through the rigging, a rolling deck, the bow slicing through the water, salt spray stinging your face, and the sight of a red flag with a raven in full flight holding a skull in its claws. That my friend is a Corvette!
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The Flute
Whether you play a flute or sail a flute, they both seem to have a certain aesthetic value. To play a flute requires two hands several fingers and a breath of air. To sail a flute requires wind sails and more than a few able bodied seaman. The flute is a ship of Dutch origination and could be found in nearly every ocean or sea. She had a round stern, a flattish looking bow, generous curving lines from the flat bottom which sloped up to a much narrower upper deck and a very significant transom. Typically three masted with a bow sprit and ship rigged with square sails. Henry Culver in the Book of Old Ships calls her the high chieftainess of the round sterned tribe. Almost sounds like the girl Sir Mixalot sang about.
The flute is from the 17th and 18th centuries and quite probably deserves much credit for transporting the Dutch around the world.
She was capable of carrying much cargo, arms, men, or livestock. When armed though
she was only armed upon her upper deck, which may account for the term, "armed en
flute". One of our best examples, the Anna-Maria, lies at the bottom of the Swedish
port Dalaro. The vast majority of her hull is still intact. The Anna-Maria was approximately
120 feet long and when she went down she was carrying 848 dozens of pine planks,
36 sheets of copper weighing 1360 kg, iron bars weighing 160 tons, and steel packed
in 136 barrels weighing 925 kg. However she didn't go down due to overloading, she
went down quite probably for the sake of an "adult beverage", on a very cold night.
She was on her way to Portugal in the winter of 1704 when ice kept her in Dalaro.
Apparently the port froze over and the mate on duty hopped off the ship and walked
to the nearest inn. Unfortunately he left the galley fire going and the rest is history.
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Xebec
(Pronounced chebec) a xebec is a type of ship that operated mainly in the Mediterranean
Sea from about 1650 to 1820. It was used primarily by Barbary (North African) Corsairs,
who traded in their galleys for sail power and broadside capacity. The appearance
of a xebec is unique, and worth sharing with the world. These ships had low, long
hulls similar to a galley, with considerable overhang at the bow and stern. They
were equipped with three lateen-rigged masts, the fore and mizzen having considerable
rake to the bow and stern respectively. It could and was rigged in three different
configurations; ship, lateen, and polacre. Now many of you are probably thinking
that this does very little to actually explain what a xebec is. In lay terminology
you might say that the xebec is a low sided, light, maneuverable ship capable of
bringing at least a modest amount of firepower to bare and very able to maneuver
itself out of harms way if necessary.
That of course sounds like the perfect ship for a corsair. The xebec did not require a large crew to sail her, and a small crew amounts to fewer people required to divide the booty with. Here again very attractive to a corsair. The xebec under sail was noted to be the fastest and most agile craft of the Mediterranean . However, the ship was not suited to heavy weather due to its low freeboard and shallow draft. As well, if it were a Corsair vessel loaded with armed troops, its range would be limited due to the fact that the stores required for that many men would take up a large amount of space. Being lightly built and of typical Mediterranean materials, the xebec was not a strong vessel. As Thomas Jefferson put it, Algerian xebecs were "so light as not to stand the broadside of a good frigate."
These were the physical disadvantages of the xebec. Added to this was the fact that the gunners on most Barbary (North African) xebecs were poorly trained and very inaccurate. Calibers were not standardized like in modern navies so this also added to the xebec's disadvantages.
What the xebec lost in weakness and poor crews, it made up for in speed and crews, it made up for in speed and maneuverability. This ship type was famous for its speed and handling under sail. If the wind died, the xebec could also rely on a set of 10 to 20 oars. With that kind of movement and versatility, it was easy for a xebec to run circles around slower, heavily laden merchant ships. In a time of crisis, a xebec could easily escape naval warships too.
These qualities made the xebec attractive to North African Corsairs, notably Algeria. However, the Knights of Malta, their Christian opposites, did not seem to adapt the design, preferring galleys and eventually a modern Westernized navy.
Nevertheless, many European states integrated the xebec into their navies, notably
France, Spain , and Britain. Britain built two xebec-based ships (Dart and Arrow)
in 1797 and both vessels were particularly successful. France and Spain utilized
the design to fight the Corsairs with their own weapon. It is probable that Portugal
, Russia , the Italian city-states, and other nations did the same thing.
Two odd accounts of xebecs outside the Mediterranean occur in North America and in the Baltic. There are some records of xebecs operating on the Great Lakes during the American Revolution and the War of 1812 (Repulse and Champion).
War of 1812 (Repulse and Champion).
There is also a record of 12 xebecs on the Danish casualty list after the bombardment of Copenhagen in 1801 by Horatio Nelson. Each of them mounted four guns. At the battle of Svensksund in 1790, 'hemmemas' were used as gunboats, and greatly resemble xebecs. You may never have heard of a xebec before, but you can bet our earliest sailors had. You can also bet that the U.S.S. Constitution sent more than a few scurrying back to there holes if not to the bottom. Now if you ever hear the question, “What’s a xebec?” You’ll have an answer.
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Old Brandon K149
FLOWER Class Corvette
1939 -
