In the meantime, let's quickly and briefly "run" to the 15th century, and there we will already reveal the issue in more detail. So let's start:

The first sailing ships appeared in Egypt around 3000 BC. e. This is evidenced by the paintings decorating ancient Egyptian vases. However, the home of the boats depicted on the vases is apparently not the Nile Valley, but the nearby Persian Gulf. Confirmation of this is a model of a similar boat found in the Obeid tomb, in the city of Eridu, which stood on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

In 1969, the Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl made an interesting attempt to test the assumption that a ship equipped with a sail, made of papyrus reed, could sail not only on the Nile, but also on the high seas. This vessel, essentially a raft, 15 m long, 5 m wide and 1.5 m high, with a 10 m mast and a single straight sail, was steered by a steering oar.

Before the use of the wind, floating craft either moved by oars or were pulled by people or animals walking along the banks of rivers and canals. Vessels made it possible to transport heavy and bulky goods, which was much more productive than transporting animals by teams on land. Bulk goods were also transported mainly by water.

papyrus ship

A large naval expedition of the ruler of Egypt Hatshepsut, undertaken in the first half of the 15th century, is historically attested. BC e. This expedition, which historians believe is also a trade, proceeded through the Red Sea to the ancient country of Punt on the east coast of Africa (this is roughly modern Somalia). The ships returned heavily laden with various goods and slaves.

In close navigation, the Phoenicians used mainly light merchant ships that had oars and a straight rake sail. Vessels intended for long-distance navigation and warships looked much more impressive. Phoenicia, unlike Egypt, had very favorable natural conditions for building a fleet: near the coast, on the slopes of the Lebanese mountains, forests grew, dominated by the famous Lebanese cedar and oak, as well as other valuable tree species.

In addition to improving sea vessels, the Phoenicians left another remarkable legacy - the word "galley", which probably entered all European languages. Phoenician ships set sail from the large port cities of Sidon, Ugarit, Arvada, Gebala, etc., where there were also large shipyards.

Historical materials also speak of the voyage of the Phoenicians in a southerly direction across the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. The Phoenicians are credited with the honor of the first voyage around Africa at the end of the 7th century. BC e., that is, almost 2000 years before Vasco da Gama.

The Greeks already in the IX century. BC e. they learned from the Phoenicians to build ships that were remarkable for that time and early began the colonization of the surrounding territories. In the VIII-VI centuries. BC e. the area of ​​​​their penetration covered the western shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the entire Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and the Aegean coast of Asia Minor.

Not a single wooden antique ship or part of it has survived, and this does not allow us to clarify the idea of ​​​​the main types of galleys, which has developed on the basis of written and other historical materials. Divers and scuba divers continue to explore the seabed at the sites of ancient naval battles in which hundreds of ships were lost. Their shape and internal structure can be judged by indirect signs - for example, by accurate sketches of the location of clay vessels and metal objects that have been preserved where the ship lay. And yet, in the absence of wooden parts of the hull, painstaking analysis and imagination cannot be dispensed with.

The vessel was kept on course by means of a steering oar, which had at least two advantages over the later rudder: it made it possible to turn a stationary vessel and to easily replace a damaged or broken steering oar. Merchant ships were wide and had ample hold space to accommodate cargo.

The ship was a Greek war galley circa 5th century BC. BC e., the so-called bireme. With rows of oars arranged in two tiers along the sides, she naturally had greater speed than a ship of the same size with half the number of oars. In the same century, triremes became widespread - warships with three "floors" of rowers. A similar arrangement of galleys is the contribution of ancient Greek masters to the design of sea vessels. Military kinkerems were not "long ships", they had a deck, internal quarters for soldiers and a particularly powerful ram, bound with copper sheets, located in front at the water level, which broke through the sides of enemy ships during naval battles. The Greeks adopted a similar combat device from the Phoenicians, who used it in the 8th century. BC e.

Although the Greeks were able, well-trained sailors, sea travel was a dangerous business at that time. Not every ship reached its destination as a result of either a shipwreck or a pirate attack.
The galleys of ancient Greece plowed almost the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas, there is evidence of their penetration through Gibraltar to the north. Here they reached Britain, and possibly Scandinavia. Their voyages are shown on the map.

At the first big clash with Carthage (in the First Punic War), the Romans realized that they could not hope for victory without having a strong navy. With the help of Greek specialists, in a short time they built 120 large galleys and transferred to the sea their method of warfare, which they used on land - an individual battle of a warrior against a warrior with personal weapons. The Romans used the so-called "crows" - boarding bridges. On these bridges, which pierced the deck of the enemy ship with a sharp hook, depriving him of the possibility of maneuvering, the Roman legionnaires broke into the enemy deck and started the battle in their usual manner.

The Roman fleet, like the contemporary Greek fleet, consisted of two main types of ships: "round" merchant and slender battle galleys.

Certain improvements can be noted in the sailing armament. On the main mast (mainmast) a large square straight sail is retained, which is sometimes supplemented by two small triangular upper sails. A smaller quadrangular sail appears on the forward inclined mast - the bowsprit. Increasing the total area of ​​the sails increased the force used to propel the ship. However, the sails continue to be an additional mover, the oars, not shown in the figure, remain the main one.
The value of the sail, however, undoubtedly increased, especially on long voyages, which were made as far as India. At the same time, the discovery of the Greek navigator Gippal helped: the August southwest and January northeast monsoons contributed to the maximum use of sails and at the same time reliably indicated the direction, like a compass much later. The road from Italy to India and the return journey, with an intermediate crossing by caravans and ships along the Nile from Alexandria to the Red Sea, lasted about a year. Previously, the path by oars along the shores of the Arabian Sea was much longer.

During trading voyages, the Romans used numerous Mediterranean ports. Some of them have already been mentioned, but one of the first places should be given to Alexandria, located in the Nile Delta, whose importance as a transit point increased as Rome’s trade with India and the Far East grew.

For more than half a millennium, the knights of the high seas, the Vikings, kept Europe in fear. They owe their mobility and omnipresence to dracars - true masterpieces of shipbuilding art.

On these ships, the Vikings made distant sea voyages. They discovered Iceland, the southern coast of Greenland, long before Columbus they visited North America. The snake heads of the stems of their ships were seen by the inhabitants of the Baltic, the Mediterranean and Byzantium. Together with the squads of the Slavs, they settled in the great trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks.

The main mover of the drakar was a raked sail, with an area of ​​70 m2 or more, sewn from separate vertical panels, richly decorated with gold braid, drawings of the coats of arms of the leaders or various signs and symbols. Ray rose with the sail. The high mast was supported by the stays going from it to the sides and to the ends of the vessel. The sides were protected by richly painted shields of warriors. The silhouette of the Scandinavian ship is one of a kind. It has many aesthetic merits. The basis for the reconstruction of this ship was the drawing of the famous carpet from Bae, which tells about the landing in 1066 of William the Conqueror in England.

At the beginning of the 15th century, they began to build two-masted coggs. The further development of world shipbuilding was marked by the transition in the middle of the 15th century to three-masted ships. For the first time this type of vessel appeared in the north of Europe in 1475. Its fore and mizzen masts are borrowed from Mediterranean Venetian ships.

The first three-masted ship to enter the Baltic Sea was the French ship La Rochelle. The skin of this ship, which had a length of 43 m and a width of 12 m, was not laid flat, like tiles on the roof of a house, as was done before, but smooth: one board close to another. And although this method of sheathing was known before, nevertheless, the merit of his invention is attributed to a shipbuilder from Brittany named Julian, who called this method "carvel" or "craveel". The name of the plating later passed into the name of the type of ships - "caravel". Caravels were more elegant than coggs and had better sailing weapons, so it was no coincidence that medieval discoverers chose these durable, fast and roomy ships for overseas campaigns. Characteristic features of caravels are high sides, deep sheer deck in the middle part of the vessel and mixed sailing equipment. Only the foremast carried a square straight sail. Latin sails on the slanting yards of the main and mizzen masts allowed ships to sail steeply into the wind.

In the first half of the 15th century, the largest cargo ship (perhaps up to 2000 tons) was a three-masted, two-deck karakka, probably of Portuguese origin. In the 15th-16th centuries, composite masts appeared on sailing ships, which carried several sails at once. The area of ​​the topsails and kruysels (top sails) was increased, which made it easier to control and maneuver the vessel. The ratio of body length to width ranged from 2:1 to 2.5:1. As a result, the seaworthiness of these so-called "round" vessels improved, which made it possible to make safer long-distance voyages to America and India and even around the world. A clear distinction between sailing merchant and military ships did not exist at that time; for a number of centuries, only a rowing galley was a typical warship. The galleys were built with one and two masts and carried Latin sails.

"Vasa" Swedish warship

At the beginning of the XVII century. Sweden has significantly strengthened its position in Europe. The founder of the new royal dynasty, Gustav I Vasa, did a lot to bring the country out of medieval backwardness. He delivered Sweden from Danish rule, carried out a reformation, subordinating the previously all-powerful church to the state.
The Thirty Years' War of 1618-1648 was underway. Sweden, which claimed to be one of the dominant countries in Europe, sought to finally consolidate its dominant position in the Baltic.

The main rival of Sweden in the western part of the Baltic Sea was Denmark, which owned both banks of the Sound and the most important islands of the Baltic Sea. But it was a very strong opponent. Then the Swedes focused all their attention on the eastern shores of the sea and, after long wars, captured the cities of Yam, Koporye, Karela, Oreshek and Ivan-Gorod, which had long belonged to Russia, thus depriving the Russian state of access to the Baltic Sea.
However, Gustav II Adolf, the new king of the Vasa dynasty (1611-1632), wanted to achieve complete domination of Sweden in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea and began to create a strong navy.

In 1625, the Stockholm Royal Shipyard received a large order for the simultaneous construction of four large ships. The king showed the greatest interest in the construction of a new flagship. This ship was named "Vasa" - in honor of the Swedish royal Vasa dynasty, to which Gustav II Adolf belonged.

The best ship craftsmen, artists, sculptors, and wood carvers were involved in the construction of Vasa. Hendrik Hibertson, a well-known shipbuilder in Europe, was invited as the chief builder. Two years later, the ship was safely launched and towed to the outfitting pier, located just under the windows of the royal palace.

Galion "Golden Hind" ("Golden Doe")

The ship was built in the 60s of the 16th century in England and was originally called "Pelican". On it, the English navigator Francis Drake in 1577-1580, as part of a squadron of five ships, undertook a pirate expedition to the West Indies and made the second circumnavigation of the world after Magellan. In honor of the excellent seaworthiness of his ship, Drake renamed it the "Golden Hind" and installed a figurine of a doe made of pure gold in the bow of the ship. The length of the galleon is 18.3 m, the width is 5.8 m, the draft is 2.45 m. This is one of the smallest galleons.

Significantly larger ships than galleys were galleasses: they had three masts with Latin sails, two large steering oars in the stern, two decks (lower for rowers, upper for soldiers and cannons), and a surface ram in the bow. These warships proved to be durable: as late as the 18th century, almost all maritime powers continued to replenish their fleets with galleys and galleasses. During the 16th century, the appearance of a sailing ship was formed as a whole, which was preserved until the middle of the 19th century. Ships increased significantly in size, if for the 15th century ships of more than 200 tons were rare, then by the end of the 16th century there were single giants reaching 2000 tons, and ships with a displacement of 700-800 tons were no longer rare. From the beginning of the 16th century, European shipbuilding increasingly began to use oblique sails, at first in its pure form, as was done in Asia, but by the end of the century, mixed sailing rigs spread. Artillery improved - bombards of the 15th and culverins of the early 16th centuries were still not very suitable for arming ships, but by the end of the 16th century the problems associated with casting were largely resolved and a familiar-looking naval gun appeared. Around 1500, cannon ports were invented, it became possible to place cannons in several tiers, and the upper deck was freed from them, which had a positive effect on the ship's stability. The sides of the ship began to fill up inward - so the guns of the upper tiers were closer to the axis of symmetry of the ship. Finally, in the 16th century, regular navies appeared in many European countries. All these innovations gravitate towards the beginning of the 16th century, but, given the time required for implementation, spread only towards its end. Again, shipbuilders also had to gain experience, because at first the ships of a new type had an annoying habit of capsizing immediately when leaving the stocks.

During the 16th century, the appearance of a sailing ship was formed as a whole, which was preserved until the middle of the 19th century. Ships increased significantly in size, if for the 15th century ships of more than 200 tons were rare, then by the end of the 16th century there were single giants reaching 2000 tons, and ships with a displacement of 700-800 tons were no longer rare. From the beginning of the 16th century, European shipbuilding increasingly began to use oblique sails, at first in its pure form, as was done in Asia, but by the end of the century, mixed sailing rigs spread. Artillery improved - bombards of the 15th and culverins of the early 16th centuries were still not very suitable for arming ships, but by the end of the 16th century the problems associated with casting were largely resolved and a familiar-looking naval gun appeared. Around 1500, cannon ports were invented, it became possible to place cannons in several tiers, and the upper deck was freed from them, which had a positive effect on the ship's stability. The sides of the ship began to fill up inward - so the guns of the upper tiers were closer to the axis of symmetry of the ship. Finally, in the 16th century, regular navies appeared in many European countries. All these innovations gravitate towards the beginning of the 16th century, but, given the time required for implementation, spread only towards its end. Again, shipbuilders also had to gain experience, because at first the ships of a new type had an annoying habit of capsizing immediately when leaving the stocks.

In the first half of the 16th century, a ship appeared with fundamentally new properties and a completely different purpose than the ships that existed before. This ship was intended to fight for supremacy at sea by destroying enemy warships on the high seas with artillery fire and combined significant autonomy for those times with the strongest weapons. The rowing ships that existed up to this point could only dominate a narrow strait, and even then, if they were based in a port on the shore of this strait, in addition, their power was determined by the number of troops on board, and artillery ships could act independently of the infantry. A new type of ships began to be called linear - that is, the main ones (like "linear infantry", "linear tanks" the name "linear ship" has nothing to do with lining up - if they were built, then just in a column).

The first battleships that appeared on the northern seas, and later on the Mediterranean Sea, were small - 500-800 tons, which approximately corresponded to the displacement of large transports of that period. Not even the biggest ones. But the largest transports were built for themselves by wealthy merchant companies, and battleships were ordered by states that were not rich at that time. These ships were armed with 50-90 guns, but they were not very strong guns - mostly 12-pounders, with a small admixture of 24-pounders and a very large admixture of small-caliber guns and culverins. Seaworthiness did not stand up to any criticism - even in the 18th century, ships were still built without drawings (they were replaced by a layout), and the number of guns was calculated based on the width of the ship measured in steps - that is, it varied depending on the length of the legs of the chief engineer of the shipyard. But this was in the 18th, and in the 16th, the correlation between the width of the vessel and the weight of the guns was not known (especially since it does not exist). Simply put, ships were built without a theoretical basis, only on the basis of experience, which was almost non-existent in the 16th and early 17th centuries. But the main trend was clearly visible - guns in such a quantity could no longer be considered as auxiliary weapons, and a purely sail design indicated a desire to get an ocean-going ship. Even then, battleships were characterized by armament at the level of 1.5 pounds per ton of displacement.

The faster the ship was, the fewer guns it could have in relation to the displacement, since the more the engine weighed - the masts. Not only did the masts themselves with a mass of ropes and sails weigh a fair amount, they also shifted the center of gravity upwards, therefore they had to be balanced by laying more cast-iron ballast in the hold.

The battleships of the 16th century still had inadequate sailing equipment for sailing in the Mediterranean Sea (especially in its eastern part) and the Baltic. The storm jokingly blew the Spanish squadron out of the English Channel.

Already in the 16th century, Spain, England and France together had about 60 ships of the line, with Spain more than half of this number. Sweden, Denmark, Turkey and Portugal joined this trio in the 17th century.

Ships of the 17th and 18th centuries

In the north of Europe at the beginning of the 17th century, a new type of vessel appeared, similar to flutes - a three-masted pinasse (pinasse). The same type of ships also includes the galleon that appeared in the middle of the 16th century - a military ship of Portuguese origin, which later became the basis of the fleets of the Spaniards and the British. For the first time, guns were installed on the galleon both above and below the main deck, which led to the construction of battery decks; guns stood on the sides and fired through the ports. The displacement of the largest Spanish galleons of 1580-1590 was 1000 tons, and the ratio of the length of the hull to the width was 4:1. The absence of high superstructures and a long hull allowed these ships to sail faster and steeper to the wind than "round" ships. To increase the speed, the number and area of ​​​​sails were increased, additional sails appeared - foxes and underliesels. At that time, jewelry was considered a symbol of wealth and power - all state and royal courts were luxuriously decorated. The distinction between warships and merchant ships became more distinct. In the middle of the 17th century, frigates began to be built in England, which had up to 60 guns on two decks, and smaller warships, such as a corvette, sloop, bombard, and others.

By the middle of the 17th century, battleships had grown significantly - some already up to 1500 tons. The number of guns remained the same - 50-80 pieces, but 12-pounder guns remained only on the bow, stern and upper deck, guns of 24 and 48 pounds were placed on other decks. Accordingly, the hull became stronger - it could withstand 24-pound shells. In general, the 17th century is characterized by a low level of opposition at sea. England, almost throughout its entire length, could not deal with internal turmoil. The Dutch preferred small ships, relying more on their numbers and the experience of the crews. France, powerful at that time, tried to impose its hegemony on Europe by wars on land - the French were of little interest to the sea. Sweden reigned supreme in the Baltic Sea and did not lay claim to other bodies of water. Spain and Portugal were ruined and often found themselves dependent on France. Venice and Genoa quickly turned into third-rate states. The Mediterranean Sea was divided - the western part went to Europe, the eastern - to Turkey. Neither side sought to upset the balance. However, the Maghreb ended up in the European sphere of influence - English, French and Dutch squadrons did away with piracy during the 17th century. The greatest maritime powers of the 17th century had 20-30 battleships each, the rest had only a few.

Turkey also began to build battleships from the end of the 16th century. But they still differed significantly from European models. Especially the shape of the hull and sailing weapons. Turkish battleships were significantly faster than European ones (this was especially true in the Mediterranean), carried 36-60 guns of 12-24 caliber pounds and were weaker armored - only from 12-pounder cores. Armament was a pound per ton. The displacement was 750 -1100 tons. In the 18th century, Turkey began to lag significantly behind in terms of technology. Turkish battleships of the 18th century resembled European ones of the 17th century.

During the 18th century, the growth in the size of ships of the line continued uninterrupted. By the end of this century, battleships had reached a displacement of 5,000 tons (the limit for wooden ships), armor had increased to an incredible degree - even 96-pound bombs did not harm them enough - and 12-pound half-guns were no longer used on them. Only 24 pounds for the upper deck, 48 pounds for the two middle decks, and 96 pounds for the bottom deck. The number of guns reached 130. True, there were also smaller battleships with 60-80 guns, with a displacement of about 2000 tons. They were more often limited to 48-pound caliber, and they were also protected from it.

Incredibly increased the number of battleships. England, France, Russia, Turkey, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Portugal had battle fleets. By the middle of the 18th century, England had almost undivided dominance at sea. By the end of the century, she had almost a hundred battleships (including those that were not in active use). France scored 60-70, but they were weaker than the English. Russia under Peter stamped 60 battleships, but they were made in a hurry, somehow, carelessly. In a rich way, only the preparation of wood - so that it would turn into armor - should have taken 30 years (in fact, Russian ships and later were built not from bog oak, but from larch, it was heavy, relatively soft, but did not rot and lasted 10 times longer than oak). But their number alone forced Sweden (and the whole of Europe) to recognize the Baltic Sea as Russian inland. By the end of the century, the size of the Russian battle fleet even decreased, but the ships were brought up to European standards. Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Portugal had 10-20 ships each, Spain - 30, Turkey - also about that, but these were already ships of a non-European level.

Even then, the property of battleships was manifested that they were created most of all for numbers - so that they were, and not for war. It was expensive to build and maintain them, and even more so to equip them with a crew, all kinds of supplies and send them on campaigns. They saved on this - they did not send it. So even England used only a small part of her battle fleet at a time. Equipment for a campaign of 20-30 battleships was also a national task for England. Russia kept only a few battleships on alert. Most battleships spent their entire lives in the port with only a minimal crew on board (capable, in case of urgent need, to overtake the ship to another port) and unloaded guns.

The ship next in rank to the battleship was the frigate, designed to capture the water space. With the incidental destruction of everything (except battleships) that was available in this space. Formally, the frigate was an auxiliary ship in the battle fleet, but given that the latter was used extremely sluggishly, frigates turned out to be the most in demand of the ships of that period. Frigates, like later cruisers, could be divided into light and heavy ones, although such a gradation was not formally carried out. The heavy frigate appeared in the 17th century, it was a ship with 32-40 cannons, counting the falconets, and displacing 600-900 tons of water. The guns were 12-24 pounds, with the latter predominating. The armor could withstand 12-pound cannonballs, the armament was 1.2-1.5 tons per pound, and the speed was greater than that of a battleship. The displacement of the latest modifications of the 18th century reached 1500 tons, there were up to 60 cannons, but usually there were no 48-pound ones.

Light frigates have been common since the 16th century, and in the 17th they made up the vast majority of all warships. Their production required a significantly lower quality wood than for the construction of heavy frigates. Larch and oak were considered strategic resources, and pines suitable for making masts in Europe and the European part of Russia were counted and taken into account. Light frigates did not carry armor, in the sense that their hulls withstood wave impacts and mechanical loads, but they did not pretend to be more, the skin thickness was 5-7 centimeters. The number of guns did not exceed 30, and only on the largest frigates of this class were 4 24 pounds on the lower deck - they did not even occupy the entire floor. The displacement was 350-500 tons.

In the 17th and early 18th centuries, light frigates were simply the cheapest warships, ships that could be made a whole cloud and quickly. Including by re-equipment of merchant ships. By the middle of the 18th century, similar ships began to be specially produced, but with an emphasis on maximum speed - corvettes. There were even fewer cannons on corvettes, from 10 to 20 (there were actually 12-14 cannons on 10-gun ships, but those that looked at the bow and stern were classified as falconets). The displacement was 250-450 tons.

The number of frigates in the 18th century was significant. England had little more than ships of the line, but still got a lot. Countries with small battleship fleets had several times more frigates than battleships. The exception was Russia, which had one frigate for three battleships. The point was that the frigate was intended to capture space, and with it (space) in the Black and Baltic Seas it was a bit tight. At the very bottom of the hierarchy were sloops - ships designed to carry out sentinel service, reconnaissance, combat piracy, and so on. That is, not to fight other warships. The smallest of them were ordinary schooners of 50-100 tons in weight with several guns less than 12 pounds in caliber. The largest had up to 20 12-pounder guns and a displacement of up to 350-400 tons. Sloops and other auxiliary ships could be any number. For example, Holland in the middle of the 16th century had 6,000 merchant ships, most of which were armed.

By installing additional guns, 300-400 of them could be turned into light frigates. The rest are in sloops. Another question is that the merchant ship brought profit to the Dutch treasury, and the frigate or sloop consumed this profit. England at that time had 600 merchant ships. How many people could be on these ships? A is different. In principle, a sailboat could have one crew member for every ton of displacement. But this worsened habitability and reduced autonomy. On the other hand, the more numerous the crew, the more combat-ready the ship turned out to be. In principle, 20 people could manage the sails of a large frigate. But only in good weather. They could do the same in a storm, simultaneously working on the pumps and battening down the port covers knocked out by the waves, they could do it for a short time. Most likely, their strength would have ended earlier than the wind. To conduct a battle on a 40-gun ship, a minimum of 80 people were required, - 70 load the guns of one side, and another 10 run around the deck and lead. But if the ship performs such a complex maneuver as a turn, all gunners will have to rush from the lower decks to the masts - when turning, the ship will certainly have to move against the wind for some time, but for this, it will be necessary to tightly reef all direct sails, and then, of course, open them again. If the gunners need to either climb the masts, then run into the hold for the cannonballs - they won’t shoot much.

Typically, sailboats designed for long passages or long cruising had one person on board for 4 tons. This was enough to control the ship and for combat. In the event that the ship was used for landing operations or boarding, the crew could reach one person per ton. How did they fight? If two roughly equal ships met in the sea under the flags of the warring powers, then both of them began to maneuver in order to take a more advantageous position from the side of the wind. One sought to go into the tail of the other - so it was possible at the most interesting moment to take away the wind from the enemy. Considering that the guns were guided by the hull, and the maneuverability of the ship was proportional to its speed, no one wanted to move against the wind at the time of the collision. On the other hand, having too much wind in the sails, it was possible to slip forward and let the enemy pass to the rear. All these dances were original in the sense that it was practically possible to maneuver only by direction.

Of course, the whole story did not fit into the LiveJournal framework, so read the continuation on InfoGlaze -

Bombardier ship

Sailing 2-, 3-masted ship of the late 17th - early 19th centuries. with increased hull strength, armed with smoothbore guns. They first appeared in France in 1681, in Russia - during the construction of the Azov Fleet. Bombardier ships were armed with 2-18 large-caliber guns (mortars or unicorns) to fight against coastal fortifications and 8-12 small-caliber guns. They were part of the military fleets of all countries. In the Russian fleet existed until 1828

Brig

Military 2-masted ship with direct sailing, designed for cruising, reconnaissance and messenger services. Displacement 200-400 tons, armament 10-24 guns, crew up to 120 people. Possessed good seaworthiness and maneuverability. In the XVIII - XIX centuries. brigs were part of all the fleets of the world

Brigantine

2-masted sailing ship of the 17th - 19th centuries with a straight sail on the front mast (fore) and oblique on the back (mainsail). Used in the navies of Europe for reconnaissance and messenger services. On the upper deck, 6- 8 small caliber guns

Galion

A sailing ship of the 15th - 17th centuries, the forerunner of a sailing ship of the line. It had fore and main masts with straight sails and mizzen with slanting ones. Displacement about 1550 tons. Military galleons had up to 100 guns and up to 500 soldiers on board

Caravel

A high-sided single-deck 3-, 4-masted ship with high superstructures at the bow and stern, with a displacement of 200-400 tons. It had good seaworthiness and was widely used by Italian, Spanish and Portuguese navigators in the 13th - 17th centuries. Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama made their famous voyages on caravels

Karakka

Sailing 3-masted ship XIV - XVII centuries. displacement up to 2 thousand tons. Armament 30-40 guns. Could accommodate up to 1200 people. Cannon ports were used for the first time on karakka and guns were placed in closed batteries

Clipper

A 3-masted sailing (or sailing-steam with a propeller) ship of the 19th century, used for reconnaissance, patrol and messenger services. Displacement up to 1500 tons, speed up to 15 knots (28 km/h), armament up to 24 guns, crew up to 200 people

Corvette

A ship of the sailing fleet of the 18th - mid-19th centuries, intended for reconnaissance, messenger service, and sometimes for cruising. In the first half of the XVIII century. 2-masted, and then 3-masted ship with direct sailing, 400-600 tons displacement, open (20-32 guns) or closed (14-24 guns) batteries

Battleship

A large, usually 3-deck (3 artillery decks), 3-masted ship with direct sailing weapons, designed for artillery combat with the same ships in the wake formation (battle line). Displacement up to 5 thousand tons. Armament: 80-130 smoothbore guns along the sides. Battleships were widely used in wars in the second half of the 17th - first half of the 19th century. The introduction of steam engines and propellers, rifled artillery and armor led in the 60s. 19th century to the complete replacement of sailing battleships with battleships

flutes

Sailing 3-masted ship of the Netherlands of the 16th - 18th centuries, used in the navy as a transport. Armed with 4-6 guns. It had sides that were littered inward above the waterline. The rudder was used for the first time on the flute. In Russia, flutes were part of the Baltic Fleet from the 17th century.

Frigate sailing

A 3-masted ship, second in terms of armament (up to 60 guns) and displacement after a battleship, but surpassing it in speed. It was intended mainly for operations on sea lanes.

Sloop

Three-masted ship of the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. with straight sails on the forward masts and a slanting sail on the stern mast. Displacement 300-900 tons, artillery armament 16-32 guns. It was used for reconnaissance, patrol and messenger services, as well as a transport and expeditionary vessel. In Russia, the sloop was often used for circumnavigation (O.E. Kotzebue, F.F. Bellingshausen, M.P. Lazarev, etc.)

Shnyava

A small sailing ship, common in the XVII - XVIII centuries. in the Scandinavian countries and in Russia. Shnyavs had 2 masts with straight sails and a bowsprit. They were armed with 12-18 small-caliber guns and were used for reconnaissance and messenger service as part of the skerry fleet of Peter I. The length of the shnyava is 25-30 m, the width is 6-8 m, the displacement is about 150 tons, the crew is up to 80 people.

Schooner

A sea sailing vessel with a displacement of 100-800 tons, having 2 or more masts, is armed mainly with slanting sails. Schooners were used in sailing fleets as messenger ships. The schooners of the Russian fleet were armed with up to 16 guns.

Only because of this museum you can go to Stockholm for the weekend! I wrote this post for a long time, if you are too lazy to read, check out the photos)
Prologue
On August 10, 1628, a large warship sailed from the harbor of Stockholm. Large, perhaps an understatement, for the Swedes it was huge. Rarely have they built ships of this magnitude. The weather was clear, the wind was light but gusty. There were about 150 crew members on board, as well as their families - women and children (on the occasion of the first voyage, a magnificent celebration was expected, so the crew members were allowed to take their family members and relatives with them). It was the newly built Vasa, named after the ruling dynasty. As part of the solemn ceremony, a salute was fired from cannons located in holes on both sides of the ship. Nothing foreshadowed trouble, the ship was moving towards the entrance to the harbor. A gust of wind came up, the ship tilted a little, but held firm. A second gust of wind was stronger and tumbled the ship on its side, water gushing through the open holes for the guns. From that moment on, collapse became inevitable. Perhaps a panic began on the ship, not everyone managed to get to the upper deck and jump into the water. But still, most of the team managed. The ship stayed on its side for only six minutes. Vasa became a grave for at least 30 people, and fell asleep for 333 years, just like in a fairy tale. Under the cut you will find photos and a story about the fate of the ship.


02. Look at him closer.

03. "Vasa" was built in Stockholm by order of Gustavus Adolf II, King of Sweden, under the leadership of the Dutch shipbuilder Henrik Hibertson. A total of 400 people worked on the building. Its construction took about two years. The ship had three masts, could carry ten sails, its dimensions were 52 meters from the top of the mast to the keel and 69 meters from bow to stern; weight was 1200 tons. By the time it was completed, it was one of the largest ships in the world.

04. Of course, they are not allowed on the ship, the museum has locations that show how it is inside.

05. What went wrong? In the 17th century there were no computers, there were only tables of dimensions. But a ship of this level cannot be built "approximately". High side, short keel, 64 guns on the sides in two tiers, Gustavus Adolf II wanted to have more guns on the ship than was usually installed. The ship was built with a high superstructure, with two additional decks for guns. This let him down, the center of gravity was too high. The bottom of the ship was filled with large stones that served as ballast for stability on the water. But "Vasa" was too heavy at the top. As always, little things overlapped, they put less ballast (120 tons is not enough) than necessary, because they were afraid that the speed would be low, for some reason they did not build a reduced copy either. The comments suggest that there was nowhere else to put the ballast.

06. "Vasa" was to become one of the leading ships of the Swedish Navy. As I said, he had 64 guns, most of them 24 pounds (they fired shots weighing 24 pounds or over 11 kg). There is a version that they made it for the war with Russia. But at that time the Swedes had more problems with Poland. By the way, they managed to get guns almost immediately, they were very valuable. England bought the right to raise. If the guide did not lie, these guns were then bought by Poland for the war with Sweden).

07. Why don't other ships rise after 300 years? And there is simply nothing left of them. The secret is that the shipworm, Teredo navalis, which devours wooden debris in salt water, is not very common in the slightly saline waters of the Baltic, and in other seas it is quite capable of gobbling up the skin of an operating ship in a short time. Plus, the local water itself is a good preservative, its temperature and salinity are optimal for sailboats.

08. The nose did not enter the lens completely.

09. A lion holds a crown in its paws.

10. There is a copy nearby, you can take a closer look.

11. All faces are different.

12. Look closely at the stern. Initially, it was colored and gilded.

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16. He was like that, I don’t like him like that. But in the 17th century there were clearly different views on shipbuilding.

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18. The life of sailors in the context, there are no cabins, everything is on deck.

19. As for the rise of the ship, not everything was easy here either. The ship was found by Anders Franzen, an independent researcher, from childhood he was interested in the wreckage of ships. And of course he knew all about the crash. For several years, with the help of a lot and a cat, a search was carried out. "I mostly picked up rusty iron stoves, ladies bikes, Christmas trees and dead cats." But in 1956 "pecked". And Anders Franzen did everything to raise the ship. And he convinced the bureaucrats that he was right, and organized the "Save Vasa" campaign and collected and repaired a bunch of various diving equipment that was considered unusable from the port dumps. Money began to flow and things went smoothly, it took two years to build the tunnels under the ship. washed under the ship, dangerous and courageous work.The tunnels were very narrow and the divers had to squeeze through them without getting tangled.And of course, a thousand-ton ship hanging above them did not give courage, Nobody knew if the Vasa could withstand it. the world has not yet raised the ships that sank so long ago!But "Vasa" withstood, did not crumble during the sharpening, when divers - mostly amateur archaeologists - entangled its hull with ropes and attached it to hooks lowered into the water from cranes and pontoons - miracle, scientific miracle.

20. For another two years, he hung in this state, while the divers prepared him for the rise, plugging thousands of holes formed from rusty metal bolts. and on April 24, 1961, everything worked out. In that blackened ghost that was brought to the surface, no one would have identified the same "Vasa". Years of work lay ahead. Initially, the ship was doused with jets of water, and at this time, experts developed a proper method of conservation. The preservative material chosen was polyethylene glycol, a water-soluble, viscous substance that slowly penetrates the wood to replace the water. The polyethylene glycol spraying continued for 17 years.

21. 14,000 lost wooden objects were raised to the surface, including 700 sculptures. Their conservation was carried out on an individual basis; then they took their original places on the ship. The task was like a jigsaw puzzle.

22. Blade handle.

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24. The inhabitants of the ship. The bones were extracted mixed, without modern technology, nothing would have happened.

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26. Museum staff went further than just showing visitors the skeletons. With the help of "spectral analysis" they restored the faces of some people.

27. Look very close to the living.

28. Frightening look.

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33. That's probably all I wanted to tell you. By the way, the ship is 98% original!

34. Thank you for your attention.

The 17th century navy The 17th century was a rich period in the history of shipbuilding. Ships have become faster, more maneuverable, more stable. Engineers have learned to design the best examples of sailing ships. The development of artillery made it possible to equip battleships with reliable, accurate guns. The need for military action determined the progress in shipbuilding. The most powerful ship at the beginning of the century At the beginning of the 17th century, the era of battleships dawned. The first three-deck was the British HMS “Prince Royal”, which was released from the Woolwich shipyard in 1610. The British shipbuilders took the prototype from the Danish flagship, and subsequently repeatedly rebuilt and improved it.

HMS "Prince Royal" 4 masts were hoisted on the ship, two each for straight and latin sails. Three-decker, originally 55-gun, the ship in the final version of 1641 became 70-gun, then changed the name to Resolution, returned the name, and in 1663 already had 93 guns in her equipment. Displacement about 1200 tons; Length (keel) 115 feet; Width (midships) 43 feet; Trench depth 18 feet; 3 full-fledged artillery decks. As a result of battles with the Dutch, the ship was captured by the enemy in 1666, and when they tried to recapture it, it was burned and flooded. The most powerful ship at the end of the century

Soleil Royal The French "Soleil Royal" was built by shipbuilders of the Brest shipyard 3 times. The first 1669 three-masted with 104 guns, created as an equal opponent to the British Royal Sovereign, died in 1692. And in the same year, a new ship of the line was already built with an armament of 112 guns and had: Guns 28 x36-lb., 30 x18-lb. (on the middeldeck), 28 x12-lb. (on the opera deck); Displacement 2200 tons; 55 meters long (along the keel); Width 15 m (along the midship frame); Draft (intryum) 7 m; A team of 830 people. The third was built after the death of the previous one, as a worthy heir to the glorious traditions associated with this name. New types of ships of the 17th century The evolution of past centuries shifted the focus of shipbuilding from the need to simply safely navigate the seas, from merchant ships of the Venetians, Hanseatic, Flemings and, traditionally, the Portuguese and Spaniards to overcome significant distances, to asserting the importance of dominance at sea and, as a result, defending their interests through military action. Initially, they began to militarize merchant ships to counteract pirates, and by the 17th century a class of only warships was finally formed, and there was a separation of the merchant and navy. The shipbuilders of England and, of course, the Dutch provinces of the Netherlands, succeeded in building the navy. From the Portuguese shipbuilders, the gallion originates - the basis of the power of the squadrons of Spain and England.

Galleon of the 17th century The shipbuilders of Portugal and Spain, who until recently played a significant role, continued to improve traditional ship designs. In Portugal, at the beginning of the century, 2 types of ships appeared with new hull proportions in the ratio of length to width - 4 to 1. This is a 3-masted pinas (looks like flutes) and a military galleon. On galleons, guns began to be installed above and below the main deck, highlighting battery decks in the ship’s structure, cell ports for guns were opened on board only for combat, and were battened down to avoid flooding with waves of water, which, with a solid mass of the ship, would inevitably flood it; warheads were hidden in the holds below the waterline. The displacement of the Spanish largest galleons of the early 17th century was about 1000 tons. The Dutch galleon had three or four masts, up to 120 feet long, up to 30 feet wide, and 12 feet low. draft and up to 30 guns. Ships with such a proportion of long hulls were added speed by the number and area of ​​​​sails, additionally foxes and underliesels. This made it possible to cut the wave steeper towards the wind in comparison to rounded hulls. Linear multi-deck sailing ships formed the backbone of the squadrons of Holland, Britain, and Spain. Three-, four-deck ships were the flagships of the squadrons and determined the military superiority and advantage in battle. And if battleships constituted the main combat power, then frigates began to be built as the fastest ships, equipping one closed firing battery with a small number of guns. To increase speed, the sail area was increased and the curb weight was reduced.

"Sovereign of the Seas" The English ship "Sovereign of the Seas" was the first classic example of a battleship. Built in 1637, armed with 100 guns. Another classic example was the British frigate - scout and escort of merchant ships. Actually, these 2 types of ships became an innovative line in shipbuilding and gradually replaced the European galleons, galliots, flutes, pinnaces, which were obsolete by the middle of the century, from the shipyards. New technologies of the navy The Dutch for a long time retained the dual purpose of the ship during the construction, shipbuilding for trade was their priority. Therefore, with respect to warships, they were clearly inferior to England. In the middle of the century, the Netherlands built the 53-gun ship "Brederode" like "Sovereign of the Seas", their flagship of the fleet. Design parameters: Displacement 1520 tons; Proportions (132 x 32) ft.; Draft - 13 feet; Two artillery decks.

Flutes "Schwarzer Rabe" As early as the end of the 16th century, the Netherlands began to build flutes. Due to the new design, the Dutch flute had excellent seaworthiness and had: Small draft; High-speed sailing equipment that allowed a steep fence to the wind; high speed; Large capacity; New design with a length-to-width ratio ranging from four-to-one; Was cost effective; And a crew of about 60 people. That is, in fact, a military transport ship to transport goods, and on the high seas to repel an enemy attack, and quickly go into the lead. Flutes were built at the beginning of the 17th century: About 40 meters long; About 6 or 7 m wide; Draft 3÷4 m; Load capacity 350÷400 tons; And gun equipment of 10 ÷ 20 guns. For a century, flutes dominated all seas, played a prominent role in wars. For the first time they began to use the steering wheel. From the sailing equipment, topmasts appeared on them, the yards were made shortened, the length of the mast became longer than the vessel, and the sails became narrower, more convenient to manage, small in size. Sails mainsail, foresail, topsails, bramsails on mainsail, foremasts. On the bowsprit - a rectangular blind sail, bom blind. On the mizzen mast - a slanting sail and a straight cruysel. To manage the sailing equipment, a smaller number of the upper crew was required. Designs of warships of the 17th century The gradual modernization of artillery pieces began to allow their successful use on board the ship. Important characteristics in the new battle tactics are: Convenient, fast reloading during the battle; Conducting continuous fire with intervals for reloading; Conducting aimed fire at long distances; An increase in the number of crew, which allowed firing under boarding conditions. Since the 16th century, the tactics of dividing the combat mission as part of a squadron continued to develop: some of the ships retreated to the flanks to conduct long-range artillery fire on the accumulation of large enemy ships, and the light avant-garde rushed to board the affected ships. British naval forces used this tactic during the Anglo-Spanish War.

Wake column during review 1849 Ships are classified according to the purpose of their use. Rowing galleys are being replaced by sailing cannon ships, and the focus is shifting from boarding to devastating cannon fire. The use of heavy large-caliber guns was difficult. The increased number of artillery crew, the significant weight of the gun and charges, the recoil force that was destructive for the ship, which made it impossible to launch volleys at the same time. The emphasis was on 32-42-pound guns with a barrel diameter of no more than 17 cm. For this reason, several medium-sized guns were preferable to a pair of large ones. The most difficult thing is the accuracy of the shot in conditions of pitching and inertia of recoil from neighboring guns. Therefore, the artillery crew needed a clear sequence of volleys with minimal intervals, the training of the entire crew of the team. Strength and maneuverability have become very important: it is necessary to keep the enemy strictly on board, not allow entry to the rear, and be able to quickly turn the ship to the other side in case of serious damage. The length of the ship's keel was no more than 80 meters, and in order to accommodate more guns, they began to build upper decks, a battery of guns was placed along the board on each deck.

Galley 17th century The coherence and skill of the ship's crew were determined by the speed of maneuvers. The speed with which the ship, having fired a volley from one side, managed to turn its narrow bow under the oncoming volley of the enemy, and then turning the opposite side to fire a new volley, was considered the highest manifestation of skill. Such maneuvers made it possible to receive less damage and inflict significant and quick damage to the enemy. It is worth mentioning the galleys - numerous military rowing vessels used throughout the 17th century. The proportions were approximately 40 by 5 meters. Displacement about 200 tons, draft 1.5 meters. A mast and a Latin sail were installed on the galleys. For a typical galley with a crew of 200, 140 rowers were placed in threes on 25 banks on each side, each at his own oar. The oar bulwarks were protected from bullets and crossbows. Guns were installed at the stern and bow. The goal of the galley attack is a boarding battle. Cannons and throwing guns launched an attack, boarding began when they approached. It is clear that such attacks were designed for heavily loaded merchant ships. The strongest army at sea in the 17th century If at the beginning of the century the fleet of the winner of the Great Spanish Armada was considered the strongest, then in the future the combat effectiveness of the British fleet fell catastrophically. And failures in battles with the Spaniards and the French, the shameful capture of 27 English ships by Moroccan pirates finally dropped the prestige of British power. At this time, the Dutch fleet takes the lead. That is why the rapidly growing rich neighbor feat Britain to build up its fleet in a new way. By the middle of the century, the flotilla consisted of up to 40 warships, of which six were 100-gun ships. And after the Revolution, the combat power at sea increased until the Restoration. After a period of calm, towards the end of the century, Britain again positioned its power at sea. From the beginning of the 17th century, the flotillas of European countries began to be equipped with battleships, the number of which determined the combat strength. The 55-gun ship HMS "Prince Royal" of 1610 is considered to be the first linear 3-deck ship. The next 3-deck HMS "Sovereign of the Seas" acquired the parameters of a serial prototype: Proportions 127x46 feet; Draft - 20 feet; Displacement 1520 tons; The total number of guns is 126 on 3 artillery decks. Placement of guns: 30 on the lower deck, 30 on the middle, 26 with a smaller caliber on the upper, 14 under the forecastle, 12 under the poop. In addition, there are many loopholes in the add-ons for the guns of the crew remaining on board. After three wars between England and Holland, they united in an alliance against France. The Anglo-Dutch alliance was able to destroy by 1697 1300 French ship units. And at the beginning of the next century, led by Britain, the union achieved an advantage. And the blackmail of the naval power of England, which became Great Britain, began to determine the outcome of the battles. Naval Warfare Tactics Previous naval warfare was characterized by disorderly tactics, skirmishes between ship captains, and no pattern or unified command. Since 1618, the British Admiralty introduced the ranking of its warships Ships Royal, 40 ... 55 guns. Great Royals, about 40 guns. Middle Ships. 30…40 guns. Small Ships, including frigates, less than 30 guns. Next, the ranks were numbered. And later, the 1st rank consisted of up to 100 guns, a team of up to 600 sailors; 6th rank - a dozen guns and less than 50 sailors.

The British developed the tactics of line combat. According to its rules, one-rank formation in the wake columns was observed; Building an equivalent and equal-velocity column without breaks; Unified command. What should ensure success in battle. The tactics of an equal-rank formation excluded the presence of weak links in the column, the flagships led the vanguard, center, command and closed the rear guard. The unified command was subordinate to the admiral, a clear system for transmitting commands and signals between ships appeared. Naval battles and wars Battle of Dover 1659 The first battle of the fleets a month before the start of the 1st Anglo-Dutch War, which formally gave it a start. Tromp, with a squadron of 40 ships, went to escort and protect Dutch transport ships from English corsairs. Being in English waters close to the squadron of 12 ships under the command. Admiral Burn, the Dutch flagships did not want to salute the English flag. When Blake approached with a squadron of 15 ships, the British attacked the Dutch. Tromp covered the caravan of merchant ships, did not dare to get involved in a long battle, and lost the battlefield. The battle of Plymouth in 1652 took place in the First Anglo-Dutch War. de Ruyter took command of a squadron from Zeeland of 31 military units. ship and 6 firewalls in the protection of the trade caravan convoy. He was opposed by 38 soldiers. ships and 5 fireships of the British forces. The Dutch at the meeting divided the squadron, part of the English ships began to pursue them, breaking the formation and losing the advantage of firepower. The Dutch, with their favorite tactic of shooting at masts and rigging, disabled part of the enemy ships. As a result, the British had to retreat and go to the ports for repairs, and the caravan safely left for Calais. Newport battles of 1652 and 1653 If in the battle of 1652, Ruyter and de Witt, having united 2 squadrons of 64 ships into a single squadron - the vanguard of Ruyter and the center of de Witt - a squadron, gave an equal battle to 68 Black ships. Then in 1653 Tromp's squadron, which had 98 ships and 6 fireships against 100 ships and 5 fireships of the English admirals Monk and Dean, was pretty destroyed when trying to attack the main British forces. Ruyter, the vanguard rushing down the wind, fell upon the English. the vanguard of Admiral Lawson, he was energetically supported by Tromp; but Admiral Dean managed to come to the rescue. And then the wind subsided, an artillery skirmish began until dark, when the Dutch, having discovered a lack of shells, were forced to leave for their ports as soon as possible. The battle showed the advantage of equipment and weapons of the English ships. Battle of Portland 1653 Battle of the First Anglo-Dutch War. Convoy under commands. Admiral M. Tromp of 80 ships was accompanied in the English Channel by a returning caravan loaded with colonial goods of 250 merchant ships. Meeting with a fleet of 70 British ships under command. Admiral R. Blake, Tromp was forced into battle. For two days of fighting, a change in the wind did not allow groups of ships to line up; the Dutch, shackled by the defense of transport ships, suffered losses. And yet, at night, the Dutch were able to break through and leave, eventually losing 9 military and 40 merchant ships, and the British 4 ships. Battle of Texel 1673 De Ruyter's victory with Admirals Bankert and Tromp over the Anglo-French fleet at Texel in the Third Anglo-Dutch War. This period is marked by the occupation of the Netherlands by French troops. The goal was to recapture the trade caravan. 92 Allied ships and 30 fireships were opposed by a Dutch fleet of 75 ships and 30 fireships. Ruyter's vanguard managed to separate the French vanguard from the British squadron. The maneuver was a success and, due to the disunity of the allies, the French preferred to keep the flotilla, and the Dutch managed to crush the center of the British in many hours of fierce battle. And in the end, having ousted the French, Bankert came to reinforce the center of the Dutch. The British were never able to land troops and suffered heavy losses in manpower. These wars of the advanced maritime powers determined the importance of tactics, formations and firepower in the development of the navy and the art of battle. Based on the experience of these wars, classes of division into ship ranks were developed, the optimal equipment for a sailing ship of the line and the number of weapons were tested. The tactics of single combat of enemy ships was transformed into a combat formation of a wake column with well-coordinated artillery fire, with rapid rebuilding and a unified command. Boarding action was a thing of the past, and strength at sea influenced success on land. The Spanish Navy of the 17th century Spain continued to form its armadas with large galleons, the unsinkability and strength of which were proven by the results of the battles of the Invincible Armada with the British. The British artillery was unable to inflict damage on the Spaniards. Therefore, Spanish shipbuilders continued to build galleons with an average displacement of 500 ÷ 1000 tons and a draft of 9 feet, creating precisely an ocean-going ship - stable and reliable. Three or four masts and about 30 guns were put on such ships.

In the first third of the century, 18 galleons were launched into the water with the number of guns up to 66. The number of large ships exceeded 60 against 20 large royal ships of England and 52 of France. The features of durable, heavy ships are high resistance to staying in the ocean and fighting against water elements. The installation of direct sails in two tiers did not provide maneuverability and ease of control. At the same time, low maneuverability was compensated by excellent good survivability during storms in terms of strength parameters, and the versatility of galleons. They were used simultaneously for both trade and military operations, which was often combined with an unexpected meeting with the enemy in the vast waters of the ocean. Extraordinary capacity made it possible to equip ships with a decent number of weapons and take on board a large team trained for battles. That made it possible to successfully carry out boarding - the main naval tactics of battles and the capture of ships in the arsenal of the Spaniards. French fleet of the 17th century In France, the first battleship "Crown" was launched in 1636. Then began the rivalry with England and Holland at sea. Ship characteristics of the three-masted two-deck "La Couronne" 1st rank: Displacement more than 2100 tons; Length along the upper deck 54 meters, along the waterline 50 m, along the keel 39 m; Width 14 m; 3 masts; Main mast 60 meters high; Boards up to 10 m high; The sail area is about 1000 m²; 600 sailors; 3 decks; 72 different-caliber guns (14x 36-pounders); Oak body.

It took about 2,000 dried trunks to build. The shape of the barrel was matched to the shape of the part of the ship in accordance with the bends of the fibers and the part, which gave special strength. The ship is known for eclipsing the Lord of the Seas, the British masterpiece Sovereign of the Seas (1634), and is now considered the most luxurious and beautiful ship of the sailing era. The fleet of the United Provinces of the Netherlands in the 17th century The Netherlands in the 17th century waged endless wars with neighboring countries for independence. The naval confrontation between the Netherlands and Britain had the character of internecine rivalry between neighbors. On the one hand, they hurried to control the seas and oceans with the help of the fleet, on the other hand, to squeeze Spain and Portugal, while successfully carrying out robbery attacks on their ships, but on the third, they wanted to dominate as the two most militant rivals. At the same time, dependence on corporations - the owners of ships that financed shipbuilding, overshadowed the importance of victories in naval battles, which stopped the growth of navigation in the Netherlands. The liberation struggle with Spain, the weakening of its strength, the numerous victories of the Dutch ships over the Spaniards during the Thirty Years' War to its end in 1648 contributed to the formation of the power of the Dutch fleet. Actually this century was the Golden Age of the Netherlands. The struggle of the Netherlands for independence from the Spanish Empire led to the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648). After the completion of the war of liberation of the Seventeen Provinces from the Spanish monarchy, there were three Anglo-Dull wars, a successful invasion of England, and wars with France. 3 Anglo-Dutch wars at sea tried to determine the dominant position at sea. By the beginning of the first, the Dutch fleet had 75 warships along with frigates. The available warships of the United Provinces were scattered around the world. In case of war, warships could be chartered, or simply hired from other European states. The designs of the "Pinas" and "Flemish Carracks" in case of war were easily upgraded from a merchant into a military vessel. However, apart from Brederode and Grote Vergulde Fortuijn, the Dutch could not boast of their own warships. They won battles through courage and skill. By the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1665 van Wassenaar's squadron was able to collect 107 ships, 9 frigates and 27 lower ships. Of these, 92 are armed with more than 30 guns. The number of crews is 21 thousand sailors, 4800 guns. England could oppose 88 ships, 12 frigates and 24 lower ships. A total of 4500 guns, 22 thousand sailors. In the most disastrous Battle of Lowestoft in the history of Holland, the Flemish flagship, the 76-gun Eendragt, was blown up along with van Wassenaar. The fleet of Britain in the 17th century In the middle of the century, there were no more than 5 thousand merchant ships in Britain. But the navy was significant. By 1651, the royal Royal Navy squadron already had 21 battleships and 29 frigates, 2 battleships and 50 frigates were being completed on the way. If we add the number of free-hired and chartered ships, the fleet could be up to 200 ships. The total number of guns and caliber were out of competition. The construction was carried out at the royal shipyards of Britain - Woolwich, Davenport, Chatham, Portsmouth, Deptford. A significant part of the ships came from private shipyards in Bristol, Liverpool, etc. Over the course of a century, growth steadily increased with the predominance of the regular fleet over the chartered one. In England, the most powerful ships of the line were called Manowar, as the largest, with more than a hundred guns. To increase the multi-purpose composition of the British fleet in the middle of the century, more smaller types of warships were created: corvettes, sloops, bombards. During the construction of frigates, the number of guns on two decks increased to 60. In the first battle of Dover with the Netherlands, the British fleet had: 60 guns. James, 56- push. Andrew, 62- push. Triumph, 56- push. Andrew, 62- push. Triumph, 52- push. Victory, 52- push. Speaker, five 36s including President, three 44s including Garland, 52s. Fairfax and others. To which the Dutch fleet could counter: 54-push. Brederode, 35 push. Grote Vergulde Fortuijn, nine 34 guns, the rest in lower ranks. Therefore, the reluctance of the Netherlands to engage in open water combat according to the rules of linear tactics becomes obvious. The Russian fleet of the 17th century As such, the Russian fleet did not exist before Peter I, due to the lack of access to the seas. The very first Russian warship was the two-deck, three-masted Eagle, built by 1669 on the Oka. But the first flotilla was built at the Voronezh shipyards in 1695 - 1696 from 23 rowing galleys, 2 sailing-rowing frigates and more than 1000 shnyavs, baroques, plows.

SPbGMTU

Coursework on the discipline “Marine Encyclopedia”

on this topic :

Sailing ships

Teacher : Lyakhovitsky A.G.

Completed: student gr.91ks1

Mikheev Petr Vadzhikhovich

2003 /2004 uch. year

1. Introduction…………………………………3

2. Types of sailing ships…………………..3

3. Spar of a sailing ship…………….6

4. Standing rigging of a sailing ship….9

5. Running rigging……………………….12

6. Sailing armament…………………15

Introduction

Over the centuries, attempts have been repeatedly made to more or less rationally distinguish between types of ships. Due to the rapid development of the world fleet and shipping, the need to classify ships according to their purpose, construction methods and technical condition has increased even more. There are special institutions in which employees, experienced in the ship business - surveyors - have to supervise the construction of ships and their technical condition during operation and classify the ships in accordance with international standards.

The oldest and most famous of these institutions is the English classification society Lloyd's Register, formed in the 18th century. The society got its name from the name of the owner of the tavern, Edward Lloyd, where, since 1687, shipowners, captains and agents made deals, insured cargo and set the price of freight. In 1764, it was decided to draw up lists of ships - registers - with the available information for each of them, so that it would be easier to assess the quality of the ship and, therefore, determine the amount of insurance.

In 1834 the society was reorganized as Lloyd's Register.

No less famous is the French classification society Bureau Veritas, founded in 1828 in Antwerp and from 1832 to the present, located in Paris.

Types of sailing ships

Sailing ships include ships and boats (boats) driven by the force of the wind acting on the sails. In this case, the ship can carry sails on one, two, three or more vertical masts.

Depending on the type of sailing equipment, the following sailing vessels are distinguished:

five-masted ship (five masts with straight sails);

five-masted barque (four masts with straight sails, one aft with slanting);

four-masted ship (four masts with straight sails);

four-masted barque (three masts with straight sails, one with slanting);

ship (three masts with straight sails);

barque (two masts with straight sails, one with slanting);

barquentine (schooner-bark; one mast with straight and two with oblique sails);

jackass - a schooner, more precisely, a three-masted topsail schooner (all masts with slanting sails and several upper straight sails on the foremast);

brig (two masts with straight sails);

brigantine (schooner-brig: one mast with straight sails, one with slanting);

bombard (one mast almost in the middle of the vessel with direct sails and one, shifted to the stern, with slanting);

a schooner, more precisely, a gaff schooner (two masts with slanting sails);

a schooner, more precisely, a two-masted topsail schooner (masts with oblique sails and several upper straight sails on the foremast);

caravel (three masts: foremast with straight sails, the rest with latin ones);

“trabaccolo” (two masts with lug, i.e. rake, sails);

xebec (three masts: fore and main masts with latin sails, mizzen mast with slanting);

felucca (two masts inclined towards the bow, with latin sails);

tartan (one mast with a large latin sail);

tender (one mast with slanting sails);

“bovo” (two masts: front with latin sail, rear with gaff or latin sail);

"navisello" (two masts: the first - in the bow, strongly inclined forward, carries a trapezoidal sail attached to the main mast; main mast - with a latin or other oblique sail);

“balancella” (one mast with a latin sail);

sloop (one mast with slanting sails);

iol (two masts with slanting sails, the smaller one - mizzen mast - stands behind the helm);

ketch (two masts with slanting sails, and the mizzen mast is in front of the helm);

dinghy (one mast with a gaff sail is moved to the bow);

luger (three masts with raked sails, used in France in coastal navigation).

In addition to the listed sailboats, there were also large seven-, five- and four-masted schooners, mostly of American origin, carrying only slanting sails.

Longitudinal section of a two-deck sailing ship of the line of the late 18th century.:

1 - keel; 2 - stem; 3 - knyavdiged; 4 - starpost sternpost; 5 - aft deadwood; 6 - bow deadwood; 7 - admiral's cabin; 8 - wardroom; 9 - steering wheel; 10 - steering; 11 - aft hook chamber; 12 - aft bomb cellar; 13 - rope box; 14 - nasal hook-camera; 15 - bow bomb cellar.

Bow and stern parts of a set of a sailing vessel:

1 - false keel; 2 keel; 3 - fortimbers; 4 - bow deadwood; 5 - kilson; 6 - falstem-knit; 7 - false; 8 - stem; 9 - grep; 10 - knyavdiged; 11 - fox-indiged (support of the nasal figure); 12 - beams; 13 - pillers; 14 - aft deadwood; 15 - keel heel; 16 - sternpost; 17 - old book.

The middle part of the body in cross section has almost round contours. The bulwark is somewhat littered inward, i.e. the width of the waterline is somewhat greater than in the area of ​​the upper deck. This was done so that the guns mounted on the upper deck did not go beyond the width of the waterline.

1 - keel; 2 - false orta shkil; 3 - kilson; 4 - first velvet; 5 - second velvet; 6 - third velvet; 7 - outer cladding

ota; 8 - inner lining; 9 - beams; 10 - lac-ports.

Bulwark of a sailing ship of the 18th century:

1 - waterway; 2 - beams; 3 - bulwark velvet; 4 - bulwark racks; 5 - bed net; 6 - hanging beds.

The main part of the hull set of a sailing ship is the keel - a longitudinal beam of rectangular section, running from bow to stern. Along the sides of the keel there are long grooves (tongues), into which the first row of outer skin boards, which are called the sheet pile belt, enters.

To protect against damage, a strong oak board, a false keel, was attached to the keel from below. The bow of the keel ends with a stem, which is a prism-shaped beam. The lower part of the stem could be curved in an arc or at an angle. Attached to the stem from the inside is the inner part of the stem - deadwood - a complex structure made of thick beams, forming a smooth transition from the keel to the hull. In front of the stem, a water cutter is fortified, the upper part of which is called knyavdiged. In the upper part of the knyavdigeda, a nose decoration - a figure - was installed.

In the rear part of the keel, a bar called a sternpost is installed vertically to it or with a slight inclination into the stern. The outer part of the sternpost is somewhat expanded to protect the rudder, hung on the sternpost. The stern and stem of a wooden sailing ship consist of several parts.

Rezenkil was applied over and along the keel. Frames were attached to him and the deadwoods, which were composite on ancient ships. In the middle of the ship's hull, somewhat closer to the bow, they placed the widest frame - the midship frame. For the transverse fastening of the ship's set, beams were used, the deck was laid on them. In the longitudinal direction, the frames were fastened with stringers.

After completing the assembly of the ship's set, they began to sheath the hull with oak boards. The dimensions of the boards depended on the size of the ship: their length was 6-8 m, width 10-25 cm. The extreme ends of the boards entered the tongues of the fore and stern and were fastened with dowels made of galvanized iron or copper. In the area of ​​​​the waterline and under the cannon ports, the planks of the skin alternated with thickened boards - velvets.

The deck flooring was made of pine or teak boards, they were attached to the beams with metal dowels or bolts, which were recessed from above and covered with wooden plugs.

For bulwark sheathing on wooden ships, relatively thin boards mounted on racks were used. The bulwark velvet is the support of the bulwark; it was customary to paint its outer surface. Above the bulwark there was a bed net, in which the sailors folded rolled hanging bunks, which protected them from enemy bullets in battle.

Sailing ship rig

Spars are all wooden parts used to carry sails, flags, raise signals, etc. The spars include: masts, topmasts, yards, gaffs, booms, bowsprits, utlegari, fox spirits and shots.

Rice. Rigging of a three-deck 126-gun ship of the middle of the 19th century.

1 - bowsprit; 2 - jib; 3 - bom-fitler; 4 - martin boom; 5 - blind hafel; 6 - bowsprit ezelgoft; 7 - guis-stock; 8 - foremast; 9 - top foremast; 10 - for-trisel-mast; 11 - topmasts; 12 - mast ezelgoft; 13 - fore topmast; 14 - top fore-masts; 15 - for-saling; 16 - ezelgoft fore topmast; 17 - fore-bram-topmast, made in one tree with fore-bom-bram-topmast; 18-19 - top for-bom-bram-masts; 20 - klotik; 21 - fore-ray; 22 - for-mars-lisel-alcohols; 23 - for-mars-ray; 24 - for-bram-lisel-alcohols; 25 - fore-bram-ray; 26 - for-bom-bram-ray; 27 - for-trisel-hafel; 28 - mainmast; 29 - top mainmast; 30 - main-trisel-mast; 31 - grotto-mars; 32 - mast ezelgoft; 33 - main topmast; 34 - top mainsail; 35 - grotto saling; 36 - ezelgoft mainmast; 37 - grotto-bram-topmast made in one tree with grotto-bom-bram-mastmast; 38-39 - top grotto-bom-bram-masts; 40 - klotik; 41 - grotto-rai; 42 - grotto-mars-lisel-alcohols; 43 - grotto-mars-ray; 44 - grotto-bram-lisel-alcohols; 45 - grotto-bram-ray; 46 - grotto-bom-bram-ray; 47 - mainsail-trisel-hafel; 48 - mizzen mast; 49 - mizzen-mast top; 50 - mizzen-trisel-mast; 51 - cruise-mars; 52 - mast ezelgoft; 53 - cruise topmast; 54 - top cruiser topmast; 55 - cruise saling; 56 - ezelgoft cruise topmast; 57 - cruise-bram-topmast, made in one tree with the cruise-bom-bram-mastmast; 58-59 - top cruiser-bom-bram-masts; 60 - klotik; 61 - begin-ray; 62 - cruys-mars-rey or cruysel-rey; 63 - cruise-bram-ray; 64 - cruise-bom-bram-ray; 65 - mizzen boom; 66 - mizzen hafel; 67 - aft flagpole;