F: Maritime Workhorses

THE CARAVEL

In the 1440s, a caravel style ship could be found in the Atlantic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is believed that these small-to-medium sized ships were used were originally used as fishing vessels out of the Iberian Peninsula in the 13th century.

Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal started exploring the West African coastline using his home in Sagres as a navigational center. The Portuguese discovered that the standard medieval merchantman could not sail effectively through the winds and currents along the coast. So, Prince Henry and his builders started to adapt the caravel for long-distance exploration and trade. The ships were designed and built at the port of Lagos, Portugal. Portuguese shipwrights built two- or three-masted ships without a forecastle and a low aft castle. The hull design had a rounded-bottom with room for some cargo. While sailing around the coast, the ship would be rigged with a lateen sail for the ease of tacking. Captains, such as Christopher Columbus, would convert the sails to square for open water and to add speed (e.g., the Niña). The ships weighed from 50 to 200 tons and were cheap to rig, cheap to man, and carried some cargo. The caravel was favored for its speed and maneuverability especially along the inlets and streams in Africa and the newly discovered Americas.

THE FLUYT

A fluyt ship is a Dutch cargo vessel, initially developed for trade in the Baltic. Characteristic for this type of ship was its pear-shaped stern and a narrow hull, which not only created great stability for ocean-travel but reduced the cost of taxes as tolls were calculated in the Baltic Sea . The Dutch shipbuilding technique—hull first—was cheaper and faster than the frame-first method used elsewhere. That, in combination with a small crew (12-15 men), dramatically decreased operational costs.

THE CARRACK

The carrack (called nao, for ship, by the Portuguese) was the beast of burden of the 16th century, carrying cargo and troops to faraway lands. It rode high in the water with the prominent forecastle giving it a characteristic "U" shape side view. The high sides made it virtually impregnable to attack from small craft, which was often a problem in the East Indies. The forecastle located directly above the stem, with the bowsprit rising from its top made sailing to windward difficult and would disappear in later designs, such as the famed Spanish galleons. Large carracks had ample room for large crews, provisions and cargo required for east Indies trading. Their size and stability allowed mounting of cannons.

In Contrast: THE ARABIAN DHOW

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