Ship.
（
Nautical.) A three-masted vessel, with square sails on each mast.
Noah's ark being 300 cubits long, 50 broad, and 30 high, and the cubit being that estimated by
Mr. Greaves, would make the ark 547 feet long, 91 feet 2 inches wide, and 54 feet 8 inches high.
25,820 tons capacity.
The proportions are relatively much like those of the “Great Eastern,” which was about 18,000 tons.
Ships with masts, yards, and square sails are shown in the ancient paintings of Eleythya,
Egypt.
The
Bible and other historical authorities agree in giving precedence to the Phoenicians in the matter of maritime navigation.
Jacob (1689 B. C.), in assigning prophetically the dwelling of Zebulon, placed him “at the haven of the sea, and he shall be for a haven of ships, and his border unto Zidon.”
Zebulon failed, it may be mentioned, to possess the land assigned to the full extent.
The same may be said of
Dan, Simeon, and other tribes for a period of nearly five hundred years after Joshua led them across
Jordan.
The prophecy of Balaam, about 1452 B. C., that Assyria should be destroyed by people who should come in ships from the coast of Chittim, was more than 1,000 years before the accomplishment.
The deportation of the Jews to
Egypt in ships under the Ptolemies and Titus was foretold by
Moses, about 1450 B. C., as the result that follows unfaithfulness on the part of the people whom he led and served.
See also
Ezekiel, chap.
XXVII.
The ships on the
Nile for navigating during the inundation are from 10,000 to 24,000 bushels burden.
Some of the
Nile vessels in former times were very large.
Diodorus mentions one built by
Sesostris, about 478 feet long.
One built by
Ptolemy Philopater was 420 feet long, 57 feet beam; was 83 feet high, and carried 4,000 rowers, 400 sailors, 3,000 soldiers.
It had 40 banks of oars, the largest of which were 57 feet long and weighted with lead in the handles.
The royal barge on the
Nile was nearly as large.
The galley built under the superintendence of
Archimedes for Hiero, of
Syracuse, was constructed by
Archias of
Corinth.
It had 20 tiers of oars and 3 decks, the middle deck having on each side 15 dining-apartments, besides other chambers, sumptuously furnished, and the floors paved with mosaics from the story of the Iliad.
On the upper deck were gardens with arbors of ivy and vines, and a temple of
Venus paved with agates and roofed with cypress wood.
It was adorned with pictures and statues, and furnished with couches and drinking-vessels.
It had a library, baths, cabins for the soldiers, and stabling for 20 horses.
In the forecastle were 2 immense cisterns, one of fresh water for consumption, and the other of salt water for a fish-pond.
From the sides of the vessel projected ovens, kitchens, mills, and other offices built upon beams, and each supported by a caryatid 9 feet high.
Around the deck were 8 wooden towers for defense, the garrison of each being 4 soldiers and 2 archers.
On this upper deck was the catapult for hurling stones of 300 pounds weight, and the ballista for throwing darts 18 feet long a distance of 300 yards.
The ship had 4 anchors of wood and 8 of iron, and the pump for removing bilge-water was the Archimedean screw.
The crew for evolutions was 600 men, and the commissaries' stores included 60,000 bushels of corn, 10,000 barrels of salt fish, and 20,000 barrels of salt meat.
She was at first called the “
Syracuse,” and afterward the “
Alexandria.”
The mainmast came from
England.
Hiero became tired of his great toy, and put the vessel to carrying corn.
Finding the draft of water too great to enter any of the surrounding harbors, which detracted from its usefulness, he had to get rid of it like a king; so he loaded it with corn and sent it to
Alexandria (coals to
Newcastle), as a present to Ptolemy, king of
Egypt, who admired.
examined, emptied it, and hauled it on shore, and then forgot it. So does history, for that is the last we hear of it.
The penteconter is mentioned by
Herodotus (I. 152). It had 50 rowers, who sat 25 on a side, on thwarts of the same level.
The navy of
Polycrates consisted of penteconters.
Biremes, where the rowers sat in 2 ranks, on different levels, were probably invented by the Phoenicians, and were known to the Assyrians in the time of Sennacherib.
One is represented in the palace of that monarch at Kouyunjik.
Triremes were invented by the Corinthians about 750 B. C.
 |
|
Roman Biremis. |
Fig 5000 is a view of a Roman
biremis, or two-banked galley.
The
Romans, by the account of Livy, first became aware of the importance of a fleet during the second Samnite war, B. C. 311.
As their colonies spread, especially when the
Pontian Islands were embraced in their bounds, the necessity grew.
In the time of the first Punic war the Romans became a maritime power, clearly foreseeing that in default of a navy
Carthage could not be subdued.
See also
Smith's “Dictionary of
Greek and Roman Antiquities,” p. 783
et seq.
A. D. 1500.
The “Great Harry,” constructed by Henry VII., was the first ship of the
English royal navy.
Previous to this the navy consisted of vessels furnished by certain maritime towns.
1515. The “
Henry Grace de Dieu,” of 1,000 tons and 122 guns, mostly of small caliber, was built under the orders of Henry VIII.
It was a sea-going failure
The “Caracon,” built by Francis I.,
ditto.
1603. The English navy consisted of 42 ships.
1610. The “
Prince,” 1,400 tons, built by James I.
The “Carrack” was a large ship.
The “
Santa Anna” was the property of the Knights of
St. John, of about 1,700 tons, sheathed with lead, and built at
Nice, 1530.
It was a floating fortress, and aided Charles V in taking
Tunis in 1535.
It had a crew of 300 men, and 50 pieces of artillery.
[
2154]
Of celebrated voyages may be mentioned that of the Phoenicians in the time of Pharaoh Necho (B. C. 610) in circumnavigating
Africa.
Christopher Colon in crossing the
Atlantic, 1492.
Vasco de Gama in doubling the
Cape of Good Hope, November 20, 1497.
Ferdinand Magellan in discovering the
Pacific Ocean, into which he sailed from the
Straits of Magellan, November 28, 1520, and which he named the
Pacific Ocean.
He sailed across the
Pacific, reached the Ladrones, was killed by mutineers; the vessel anchored at
Tidore, November 8, 1521, having been at sea 27 months.
 |
|
Proportions of Ocean steamers. |
Sebastian de Elcano,
Magellan's lieutenant, doubled the
Cape of Good Hope, and on September 7, 1522, the “San Vittoria” anchored at St. Lucar, near
Seville, Spain; the first circumnavigation of the earth.
a, “
Baltimore,”
N. G. Lloyd's line.
Length, 185 feet; beam, 29 feet; length to breadth, 6.38.
b, “Peruvian,” Allan line.
Length, 270 feet; beam, 38 feet; length to breadth, 7.11.
c, “Moravian,” Allan line.
Length, 290 feet; beam, 39 feet; length to breadth, 7.44.
d, “
Leipzig,”
N. G. Lloyd's line.
Length, 290 feet; beam, 39 feet; length to breadth, 7.44.
e, “
Minnesota,”
Williams & Guion line.
Length, 332 feet; beam, 42 feet; length to breadth, 7.90.
f, “
Rhein,”
N. G. Lloyd's line.
Length, 332 feet; beam, 40 feet; length to breadth, 8.30.
g, “
Westphalia,” Hamburgh line.
Length, 340 feet; beam, 40 feet; length to breadth, 8.50.
h, “
Pennsylvania,” American S. S. Co. Length, 343 feet; beam, 43 feet; length to breadth, 7.91.
i, “
Russia,” Cunard line.
Length, 358 feet; beam, 43 feet; length to breadth, 8.33.
j, “
Queen,” National line.
Length, 358 feet; beam, 41 feet; length to breadth, 8.73.
k, “
Ville du Havre,” French line.
Length, 423 feet; beam, 49 feet; length to breadth, 8.63.
l, “City of
Montreal,” Inman line.
Length, 433 feet; beam, 44 feet; length to breadth, 9.84.
m, “Atlantic,” White Star line.
Length, 435 feet; beam, 41 feet; length to breadth, 10.61.
The following works on seamanship may be consulted:—
Falconer's “Dictionary.”
“The ship, its origin and progress.”
Steinitz.
London, 1849. “Sheet anchor.”
Lever.
London (Am.
ed.), 1854. “Kedge anchor” New York, 1852.
Luce's “Seamanship.”
Newport, R. I., 1863. Young's “Nautical Dictionary.”
London, 1863.
Totten's “Naval text-book.”
New York, 1862. “Sailor's word book.”
Adm. Smyth.
London, 1867. “Shipbuilding,” by
Rankine,
Watts,
Barnes, and
Napier.
Wiley & Sons.
New York.
In Plate LIX., the upper figure is a longitudinal midship section of a steam sloop-of-war, carrying 22 guns.
Vessels of this class are of 1,100 to 1,200 tons measurement, and have engines of 200 to 300 horse-power.
The next view shows the gun or spar-deck plan of the same.
The lower or berth deck is not shown by plan view.
It contains the cabins, state-rooms, and accommodations for officers and crew in vessels of this class.
The sectional plan of the upper hold shows the arrangements of the lower deck, the bins for stores, stowage of the hatch, chain-cable lockers, arrangement of boilers, and general distribution of fuel; also magazine and shell-room.
The plan of lower hold shows the arrangement of keelsons, engine-bearers, and boiler-bearers, stowage of tanks and provisions in fore-hold, and details of magazine and light-room.
