As soon as humanity rose above the level of stone clubs and began to explore the world around it, it immediately realized what prospects promise sea routes of communication. Yes, even the rivers, through the waters of which it was possible to move quickly and relatively safely, played a tremendous role in the development of all modern civilizations.
The importance of sailboats for humans
We don't know and, most likely, we will never know where and how the first sailing ship appeared. But only one thing is indisputable - the person who invented it, in his influence on the future of civilization, is comparable to the inventor of the wheel. The latter, by the way, is also unknown to us, but the memory of him is eternal. A sailing ship, by the way, is a ship driven by the force of the wind.
It was the sailboats that provided the opportunity for the development of civilization. The first of the ancient sailors who perfectly mastered the art of "catching the wind" were the Greeks and, possibly, the Sumerians. Subsequently, the Phoenicians took the palm, as well asthe Vikings, who, according to modern research, sailed on their longships to the coast of North America long before Columbus. So a sailing ship is the type of transport on which a person first crossed the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean, it was on such ships that Magellan first made a round-the-world “tour”.
The first "sailboats"
The first ships capable of sailing were most likely galleys. It all started with the simplest rowing boats of Ancient Egypt, and ended … it is believed that the last ships of this type were used even after the invention of the steam engine, so they served humanity for a very long time.
Galleys were ships designed to operate exclusively in shallow coastal waters, while among the Egyptians they were often flat-bottomed. Of course, such ships did not have outstanding seaworthiness. Their sail was the most primitive, straight, allowed to walk under the wind only when the latter was passing. So the types of sailing ships described below do not include galleys. After all, it is impossible to consider them full-fledged sailboats.
Classification of sailing ships
Subsequently, the shipbuilders of the world mastered more and more sophisticated technologies that allowed them to build ships with ever better seaworthiness. The simplest classification of ships should be given on the pages of this article so that there is no confusion in the future:
- Ship (frigate). Yes, yes, not every sailing ship could do thisbe called. Only those ships that had three masts were called that way. The sails are exceptionally straight, but on the mizzen, in addition, there was also a “oblique” rig, which made it possible to walk on tacks. What other types of sailing ships were there?
- Bark was also called a ship with three masts, but the first two had only straight sails, and the third had only oblique sails.
- A brig is almost the same as a frigate, only a two-masted sailing vessel. The mizzen also has a slanting sail, but the rest of the rigging is straight only.
- A schooner was any ship with two or more masts. But at the same time, at least two of them had to carry slanting sails.
- One and a half masted ships. Their mainsail and mizzen seem to be "merged" into one design.
- Single-mast vessels. As you might guess, they had only one mast. As a rule, the sails were the simplest, straight.
It just so happened that the most common type in the history of world navigation has become a sailing two-masted vessel. Such ships were much simpler than a frigate or schooner in construction, and with a good arrangement of sailing equipment, they were distinguished by better mobility and speed.
Galleons and the revolution in navigation
The first sailing ship designed specifically for long ocean crossings is the galleon. It is believed that the first ship of this class was the Mary Rose carrack built in 1512, which belonged to the British. However, the Portuguese are sure that it is they who have the honor of creatinggalleons, as they were the first to build caravels.
But all these ships did not appear out of nowhere, since the possibility of their construction arose only when shipbuilding had already absorbed many technical achievements and discoveries of those years. For example, the galleon is the first multi-deck sailing ship. In order for the huge structure, made entirely of wood with minimal use of scarce iron, to simply not fall apart, shipbuilders had to have a very high degree of professional skill.
Discoveries in the construction of the ship's hull
It is believed that the classical scheme of building ships, when the hull is first made, and then it is sheathed, was invented by the Byzantines around the end of the first millennium of our era. Prior to this, the craftsmen assembled the ships, initially making the hull, and only then the frame was “introduced” into its design. At the same time, it was difficult to achieve high accuracy, and therefore ships with high seaworthiness were rarely obtained.
The limit of perfection of those years was a small two-masted sailing vessel, on which it was already possible to make short sea crossings, but still its speci alty was coastal shipping.
century. Initially, the names of ships made according to Byzantine technology are alwayscontained the root “karvel”, which meant the construction of a frame with its subsequent “smooth” boarding. Hence the caravel, a relatively small sailing vessel with excellent seaworthiness.
Advantages of the new method
Ship builders have gained a lot of benefits when they finally switched to frame assembly of ships. Most importantly, from the first days of construction, the frame made it possible to visually assess the appearance of the future ship, its contours and displacement, and immediately identify possible design flaws. In addition, the new technology made it possible to multiply the size of the ships through the use of a strong and "springy" frame, which evened out even very heavy loads.
In addition, much smaller boards could be used for sheathing, which made it possible to drastically reduce the cost of construction and stop cutting down centuries-old oak forests. For example, a small two-masted sailing ship built according to this technique could be “cut down” from relatively cheap pine and birch, and its seaworthiness did not deteriorate.
About qualification of workers
Finally, it was possible to use the labor of much less skilled workers: only a few people were directly responsible for the design, and the carpenters only de alt with the sheathing. In the construction of early types of ships, each of them had to be practically a virtuoso of his craft. The increased manufacturability of the building also made it possible to make much more huge sea ships.
Each such large multi-deck sailing vessel was more powerful than dozens of early clumsy vessels, which, by and large, were only suitable for coastal navigation.
Powder artillery and sailboats
Already in the 14th-15th centuries, gunpowder artillery began to spread actively in maritime affairs, but for a long time it was placed exclusively in deck settings, which were originally intended for archers. This led to a strong "decentralization", making the ship very unstable even with relatively weak waves.
Soon, the guns began to be placed along the longitudinal axis of the gun, but still on the upper deck. However, it was extremely difficult to conduct aimed fire from cannons, since round holes cut in the sides were used for this purpose. In peacetime, they were plugged with wooden plugs.
Real gun ports did not appear until the early 16th century. This innovation gave way to the creation of large and well-armed ships of the line. Such a large multi-deck sailing ship was perfect for both naval battles and expansion into the lands of the future Latin America.
Giants of the Middle Ages
But the first mention of the classic galleon is found in historical documents dated 1535. Its advantages were quickly appreciated by the Spaniards and the British. Unlike other ships of those years, this one was much lower, with “correct” hull contours, which provided minimal hydrodynamic resistance ongo. The masts of a sailing vessel of this type carried mixed sailing equipment, which, with due skill of the captain and crew, made it possible to tack in a wind close to the head.
Their displacement, even today, was decent - up to 2000 tons! At the same time, the cost of galleons even became lower due to the use of cheaper types of wood. The problem was delivered only by the masts of a sailing ship, for which only selected pines were required.
Design features
Spars were also made of pines, oak was used for the power elements of the hull. Unlike the karakk, the bow superstructure did not hang forward. The cut stern had a high and narrow superstructure, which had a positive effect on the stability of the ship during rough seas. Traditionally, galleons were distinguished by rich carvings and other hull decorations.
The largest sailing vessel of this type had seven (!) decks. During the construction of such giants, the work of mathematicians was in great demand (remember the Great Embassy of Peter the Great to Holland). They didn’t eat their bread in vain: the calculations made it possible to create a ship very large, but durable, capable of withstanding both the storm and the boarding, accompanied by ship collisions, to survive.
Sail rig specifications
The number of masts on the galleons varied from three to five, the front ones carried straight sails, and the rear ones were oblique. The largest Spanish galleons could have two mizzen at once, which provided good speed performance even with a headwind and the need for a tack. How low-skilled couldthe carpenters involved in the construction of such ships had to be just as drilled as their sailors, since they had to manage with several hundred kilometers of equipment.
By the way, the relatively small length of the first galleons made them a kind of "relatives" of the galleys, which we talked about at the very beginning of the article. If the ship fell into the zone of absolute calm, it could move on the oar. Of course, in a storm, using this move was suicidal.
