History of Shipbuilding

This site analysis explores the archaeological potential to locate the remains of a nineteenth century shipyard identified in Wharton's thesis 'Changing Tides: A Cultural Landscape study of the maritime community in Balmain, New South Wales 1860-1910.' The shipyard can be seen in a photograph dated c.1872 which shows a cutter-style hull set on a gravitationally launched longitudinal slipway with simple shoring. Thesis research carried out on shipbuilders of Balmain for the period of 1860 to 1910 was not able to identify the shipwright or shipyard as a commercial operation in this location in the historical record. The area in the photograph has since been reclaimed in
the late twentieth century and converted into public parkland. Therefore, there is potential that the remains of this yard, and related surrounding structures, remain within the reclamation.

Built in Bahia shipyard by Manuel da Costa, the
ship of the line Principe do Brazil was one of the
vessels that integrated the fleet that brought the
Royal Court from Lisbon to Brazil in 1808. The
discovery of an unidentified ship plane, which
also allowed the identification of one of the ship
models lost in the ancient “Escola Naval”, as
well as new data about its author, constitute
a precious finding for Late 18th and early 19th
Century Luso-Brazilian Naval Architecture and
Shipbuilding studies.

EN- Providing livelihoods from most different geographies located on the coast in the ancient Mediterranean Sea, from the climate conditions offered by the period and the geography lived, to make import and export in the direction of economic interactions, but to continue the desire to explore new places, wars that are more important for the primitive period. It is possible to say that the use of sea, river and water channels as an intermediary bridge makes this kind of activities active all the time. In the following periods, this high dependency on each other was supported by the use of ships and boats of antiquity between all the islands and cities on the Mediterranean coast, especially when trade was based on the economy.

TR- Antik dönem Akdeniz’inde kıyıda yer alan çoğu farklı coğrafyalardan insanların, dönemin ve yaşanılan coğrafyanın sunmuş olduğu iklim koşullarından hareketle geçimlerini sağlamak, ekonomik etkileşimler doğrultusunda ithalat ve ihracat gerçekleştirmek ancak ilkel dönem için daha da önem arz eden seyahat, yeni yerler keşfetme arzusu ve savaşları sürdürebilmek adına deniz, nehir ve su kanallarının bir aracı köprü olarak kullanılması bu tarz faaliyetleri her daim aktif kıldığını söylemek mümkündür. Daha sonraki dönemler içerisinde Akdeniz'e kıyısı olan tüm adalar ve kentler arasındaki, özellikle ticaretin ekonomiye dayanmasıyla, birbirine olan bu yüksek bağımlılık antikçağın gemi ve tekne kullanımı ile desteklenmiştir.

Domenica 15 maggio 2022, ore 17.30 Parco di Villa Molaroni, Pesaro
Zrinka Podhraški Čizmek presenterà il volume Navigli adriatici fra le due sponde nel Settecento, Quaderno n. 24 della collana „Rerum maritimarum”
Apertura mostra "Tipologie navali dell’Adriatico nei secoli dell’età moderna" a cura di Maria Lucia De Nicolò, Luigi Divari, Zrinka Podhraški Čizmek
15.5.2022-28.8.2022


In questa edizione vengono presentati tutti i tipi ed elementi distintivi dei navigli menzionati nei primi tre volumi dei Regesti marittimi croati (RMC I-III) che comprendono circa 16.000 documenti riguardanti, tra l’altro, i velieri in uso nell’Adriatico durante il Settecento. Lo studio espone 18.536 menzioni di bastimenti classificati in 79 termini diversi messi a confronto rispetto l’etimologia e caratteristiche peculiari di ogni natante (quali stazza, attrezzatura velica, uso e quant’altro). L’analisi dimostra che i piccoli paroni preferivano velieri più piccoli, dalla portata fra le 20 e 300 t, essendo più veloci e manovrabili con buone capacità di navigazione. Si trattava innanzitutto del trabaccolo con il 14,55% di presenza nei documenti, poi della tartana (11,49%), del pielego (8,06%), della polacca (6,23%), della marciliana (6,18%), della feluca (5,10%), della barca (4,86%), della checcia (2,21%) e della brazzera (2,01%). I velieri minori, ovvero piccoli e medi, di portata inferiore alle 300 t, rappresentavano perfino il 70,82% di tutti i bastimenti nominati, mentre i velieri maggiori, di portata superiore alle 310 t, fra cui le grandi navi/nave ovvero vascelli (15,33%) ed i fregatoni (4,36%) avevano mantenuto il 20,65% del traffico marittimo, soprattutto verso le Isole Ionie ed altri porti mediterranei. Tramite l’analisi comparata delle loro caratteristiche e peculiarità è stato dimostrato che fra i porti delle coste orientali e occidentali dell’Adriatico nel Settecento vi era un intenso commercio quotidiano e che tale traffico era caratterizzato da un forte dinamismo del piccolo e medio ceto imprenditoriale che è riuscito ad imporsi sia nel commercio marittimo che nella costruzione navale che ha interessato ambo le coste adriatiche.


Predstavljanje knjige: Jadranski brodovi između dviju obala u osamnaestom stoljeću. Povijesno-ikonografski pregled

Ovaj povijesno-ikonografski pregled prikazuje sve vrste i glavne karakteristike brodova koji se spominju u prva tri sveska Hrvatskih pomorskih regesta. RMC I–III obuhvaćaju oko 16.000 dokumenata koji se, između ostaloga, odnose na jedrenjake koji su plovili Jadranom i Mediteranom u XVIII. stoljeću. Studija prikazuje 18.536 spomena plovila klasificiranih u 79 različitih naziva koji se uspoređuju s obzirom na njihovu etimologiju i razna obilježja poput nosivosti, jedrilja i namjene. Analiza pokazuje kako su vlasnici brodova radije koristili manje brodove (nosivosti do 300 tona), dobrih maritimnih svojstava, a čiji je brz utovar i istovar išao u prilog ubrzanu ritmu toga stoljeća. Brod koji se najčešće spominje jest trabakul sa svega 14,55% prisutnosti u dokumentima, zatim tartana (11,49%), pelig (8,06%), pulaka (6,23%), marsilijana (6,18%), filjuga (5,10%), barca (4,86%), keč (2,21%) i bracera (2,01%). Čak 70,82% sveukupno navedenih brodova odnosilo se na plovila srednje i manje nosivosti (do 300 t), dok se 20,65% sveukupnoga prometa, izvanjadranskog, mediteranskog (prema Jonskim otocima i dalje) te prema sjevernim morima, odnosio na brodove veće nosivosti (iznad 310 tona) među kojima su nave i vašeli (15,33%) te fregaduni (4,36%). Komparativnom analizom njihovih karakteristika i posebnosti pokazano je da je između luka istočne i zapadne obale Jadrana u osamnaestom stoljeću postojala intenzivna dnevna trgovina čija je glavna značajka bila nevjerojatna dinamičnost maloga i srednjeg poduzetništva koje se uspjelo etablirati kako u pomorskoj trgovini, tako i u brodogradnji, ostavivši golem utjecaj na obje jadranske obale.


Book launch: Adriatic ships between the two shores in the eighteenth century. A historical and iconographic review

This historical and iconographic review outlines all the types and main characteristics of the sailers mentioned in the first three volumes of the Croatian Maritime Regesta (RMC I-III). These three volumes include around 16,000 documents which, among other things, present the sailing ships used in the Adriatic during the eighteenth century. The analysis shows 18,536 mentions of ships classified under 79 different names (types), and compares them with respect to etymology and characteristics such as DWT, sailing equipment, purpose. The analysis demonstrates that small shipowners preferred lighter sailing ships with a DWT of up to 300 t, being faster and more maneuverable with good navigation skills. The dominant type of ship was trabaccolo, which accounts for 14.55% of mentions in the documents, followed by tartane (11.49%), pielego (8.06%), polacre (6.23%), marciliana (6.18%), felucca (5.10%), barca (4.86%), ketch (2.21%), and brazzera (2.01%). Small and medium ships with a DWT of up to 300 t account for 70.82% of all the mentioned sailers. Larger sailing ships, with a DWT over 310 t, including navas/vessels (15.33%) and frigatoons (4.36%), maintained 20.65% of maritime traffic, especially towards the Ionian Islands and other Mediterranean ports. The comparative analysis of their characteristics and peculiarities has indicated that intense daily trade was taking place between the ports of the Eastern and Western coasts of the Adriatic in the eighteenth century, and that this traffic was characterized by a strong dynamism of the small and middle entrepreneurial class which established themselves both in maritime trade and in shipbuilding, and thus left an enormous impact on both Adriatic coasts.

(English below)
De Zuiderzee is vanaf de late middeleeuwen tot de afsluiting in 1932 het dagelijkse vaargebied geweest van vele binnenschippers. Zij spelen een bescheiden rol binnen de maritieme geschiedschrijving van Nederland, omdat hun activiteiten nauwelijks sporen hebben achtergelaten in de archieven. Toch zijn er bronnen om deze tak van de scheepvaart te onderzoeken: de meer dan 450 scheepswrakken die hier vanaf de eerste inpolderingen tot en met recente duikoperaties zijn aangetroffen.

Dit proefschrift gaat dieper in op de betekenis van deze scheepsarcheologische vindplaatsen aan de hand van een casestudy: de turfvaart tussen 1550 en 1700. Onderzocht wordt in hoeverre de spectaculaire sociaaleconomische ontwikkeling die Holland in deze periode doormaakte, verband houdt met de Zuiderzee als centrum van een omvangrijk maritiem transportlandschap. Verschillende invalshoeken belichten het vervoer van turf over deze binnenzee: van macro-economische analyses tot een reconstructie van het dagelijkse leven van de turfschippers.

De historische maritieme archeologie van de turfvaart biedt zowel een vernieuwende kijk op het maritieme verleden van Nederland als een kader voor het interpreteren van scheepswrakken. Het beeld dat uit deze studie is ontstaan, zal bijdragen aan de herwaardering van het unieke erfgoed dat nog steeds voor een belangrijk deel verborgen ligt in de bodem van de voormalige Zuiderzee.

Summary

From the late Middle Ages up to its closure in 1932 the Zuiderzee harboured a substantial amount of trade routes for the daily transport of cargo in all directions. The inland skippers, although large in numbers, played a modest role in the Dutch maritime history, as their activities hardly left a significant trace in the paper archives. The main source of information of this maritime activity is the unique archaeological archive of more than 450 shipwrecks found in this area during land reclamation projects and recent dive investigations.

This PhD thesis features a case study that highlights the significance of these archaeological ship finds in relation to the maritime trade of peat, the main source of energy for pre-modern economy. It explores the extent to which the spectacular socio-economic development of Holland between 1550 and 1700 AD can be attributed to the Zuiderzee functioning as a hub in an extensive maritime transport landscape. The transport of peat across this inner sea is addressed from different angles, ranging from macro-economic analyses to the reconstruction of the daily routines of peat skippers.

The historical maritime archaeology of peat shipping offers a new historic perspective to the maritime past of The Netherlands and may well serve as a framework for future research into shipwrecks and their interpretation in a historical context. This PhD thesis contributes to a renewed appreciation for the unique cultural heritage that is still largely hidden in the seabed of the former Zuiderzee.






















Print on demand (October 1, 2021): http://www.barkhuis.nl/
Free download (September 23, 2021): https://research.rug.nl/nl/publications/de-zuiderzee-als-transportlandschap-historische-maritieme-archeol

During the 16th century, the Mediterranean shipbuilding –especially in Italy– was renowned for its quality. It held a technical culture inherited by an ancient tradition that had passed down orally from one generation to the next. But today it is largely unknown, since, to the scarcity of documentation in writing, is added a poor archaeological documentation. The discovery of the Mortella shipwrecks (Saint-Florent, Upper Corsica, France) in 2005 and 2006, and the programme of archaeological excavations of one of them –the Mortella III– undertaken in 2010, highlight an architecture from the 16th century that belongs to the Mediterranean tradition and offer the prospect of contributing to fill the existing gaps.

After studying the archaeological data from the five excavation campaigns done on this wreck, our research sets as key goal identifying markers’such as ‘technical and architectural traits’ which can contribute to the definition of a model of shipbuilding from the 16th century in the Mediterranean, initiated by previous archaeological research started in the eighties. In this perspective, the analysis is based on comparisons with archaeological data from other wrecks of that period. Moreover, it also relies on the references provided by the written sources, as well as the iconography. Finally, the archival researches undertaken in the margins of the archaeological work have allowed linking the wrecks of the Mortella to their history, in this case to the Italian wars of 1527. In this regard, the archaeological study –which remains the epicentre of this thesis– is usefully supplemented by the historical research.

Among the 16th century Iberian treatises of naval architecture, the “Book of How to Build Oceangoing Ships” (Livro da Fabrica das Naos) written by Fernando Oliveira between 1570 and 1580, offers exceptional insights into aspects of Portuguese shipbuilding in the 16th century. This theoretical work made up of a prologue and nine chapters, “sets the moment when naval construction left the empiric universe of the shipbuilders (….) and began to suffer a process of scientific accreditation that passed through the theorization of ship forms and the mathematization of ship structure”; likewise, it is also very significant because of the multifaceted abilities of its author. Fernando Oliveira was truly a Renaissance man, an experienced cartographer and pilot, who wrote extensively on warfare (see the manuscript of his Arte da Guerra no Mar) and naval construction. But he was also an Humanist, a grammarian and an historian, who served occasionally in England as an ambassador of the Portuguese King John III. After briefly sketching his biography, we will examine some of the most relevant chapters of the Livro da Fabrica das Naos (which appears to be the continuation of Oliveira’s Ars Nautica, 1570), related to wooden shipbuilding. New regulations and methods, based on geometry and mathematics, had to be developed in order to improve and facilitate the construction of new ships. Therefore, of special interest are chapters two and three, devoted to timber suitable for the building of ships and how they shall be used in different parts of the ship, and chapter nine, where materials required for shipbuilding (especially nailing) are scrutinized. However, the most significant portion of the Livro is in chapter 8, “On the Construction and Measurement of Carrier Ships”. The author presents the theoretical model for ship design, a nau de 18 rumos, conceived from a set of measurements proportionally related, determined by the keel length. Among other aspects, the method of laying the keel of a ship will be examined in the present article.

RELACIONES INTERCOLONIALES Nueva España y Filipinas, (coordinador Jaime Olveda Legaspi), COLJAL, 2017. Ivan Valdez-Bubnov "El navío de 70 cañones de González Cabrera Bueno (1734): ¿Un modelo tecnológico propio de la carrera de Filipinas?, pp- 63-88.

Abstract: Regarding research about the Navy department, it is necessary to explore the vein of center and country, in order to introduce the quality and the operations of this department. Especially, when we mention ship construction activity, these elements become more important. This is because, the fundamental thing to determine the quality and the operation of shipyards both in the center and the country is the dependency of each other regarding the supply of labor and materials and equipment. Inevitably, this dependency required a strict control mechanism and communication between the center and country shipyards. However, in the sanjaks, forming one of the main units of the Ottoman organized administration, structural and functional changes had occurred since the 17 th century and this situation also changed these dependency relations. In this study, the attempt is made to reconsider and evaluate this dependency relationship which began to change, especially between the central and the country arsenals, during the 18 th century, when both the seeds of the break with tradition and of innovation were planted. Mutesellims emerged as new actors in the sanjaks in this period and this paper attempts to clarify from archival documentary sources the problems, such as how the mutesellims were included within these dependency relations, what responsibilities they assumed, and how much they could fulfill the demands of the center in respect to shipbuilding requirements.

Onlangs zijn er in de Waddenzee van Duitsland twee Nederlandse scheepswrakken gevonden. Ze stammen uit het eind van de zeventiende en uit de achttiende eeuw en ze hebben iets bijzonders. De buitenkant van beide schepen is als eerste gebouwd, met een dubbele laag planken. Bij zulke jonge schepen is dat nog nooit aangetroffen.

Resum: En el procés de construcció d'una embarcació el ritual més conegut és el de la benedicció. En el nostre estudi volem fer palès que existiren altres cerimònies i actes de caire civil, públic i privat, relacionades amb les diverses etapes prèvies a la seva varada. A partir del moment que es redacta el contracte de construcció fi ns que s'acaba de construir el buc i es posa a l'aigua es poden arribar a celebrar més de cinc actes, dels quals són molt habituals la festa del romball i la dels anaps. La quantitat d'actes té relació amb la importància del vaixell, ja sigui a causa de les seves dimensions o per qui n'és l'armador.

Iván Valdez-Bubnov, Sergio Solbes Ferri y Pepijn Brandon
(coordinación) Redes empresariales y administración estatal: la provisión de materiales estratégicos en el mundo
hispánico durante el largo siglo XVIII. México:
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas
2020, 386 p. Figuras (Serie Historia General 39) ISBN 978-607-30-3585-9

El objetivo del presente estudio es comprender la etapa formativa de la industria de la construcción naval española en Asia, a partir de la percepción oficial acerca de la riqueza y la utilidad de los recursos madereros existentes en las islas Filipinas, así como de los mecanismos desarrollados para la movilización de recursos, humanos y forestales, durante este período formativo, y sus consecuencias sociales y políticas. El presente estudio se propone confrontar la legislación promulgada para normar la movilización de mano de obra para el uso de recursos forestales, los testimonios al respecto de la calidad y utilidad náutica de los distintos tipos de maderas y, finalmente, las manifestaciones de la tensión generada por la construcción naval entre las instituciones constitutivas del orden colonial en Filipinas durante el siglo XVI y la primera mitad del siglo XVII.

Since the ancient time, people built watercrafts to across ocean. At the end of the 15th century, development of technology allowed European to across Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This technological advancement triggered the Age of European Expansion. The main actors of this phenomena was Spanish and Portuguese, or Iberians. Today, thanks to both historical and archaeological evidences, archaeologists can reconstruct appearances of Iberian ships of this era using computer aided 3-D drawing and modeling software. In this paper, the author explains his reconstruction of the Iberian ships based on both archaeological and historical evidences.

The purpose of this study is to understand the political, social, economic and military factors that shaped the evolution of Spanish shipbuilding for the Acapulco-Manila trade route under the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties (1571–1815). It focuses on the main variables that affected the size of the trans-Pacific galleons, on the objectives of the Spanish crown’s shipbuilding legislation, and on the methods used by Spanish colonial administrators to mobilize human and material resources in the Philippines. It discusses the role of the religious orders in the functioning of this industry, particularly in opposing the negative social consequences of shipbuilding. It also details the administrative reforms that shaped the development of this industry during the eighteenth century, which sought to limit the exploitation of the local workforce by transferring executive powers from local government officials and encomenderos to the friars. Finally, it also discusses the measures implemented...

Luka Bekić Ostali nalazi s brodoloma kod Verude Other Finds Recovered at the Veruda Shipwreck Site 5. Povijest broda / History of the ship 167 Luka Bekić Povijesni kontekst arheološkog nalaza kod Verude The Historical Context of the Archaeological Find at Veruda 6. Konzerviranje i restauriranje nalaza / Conservation and restoration of the finds 179 Antonija Jozić Konzervatorsko restauratorski radovi na metalnim predmetima Conservation and Restoration Work on the Metal Artefacts 189 Anita Jelić Konzervatorsko-restauratorski radovi na drvenim nalazima Conservation and Restoration of the Wooden Artefacts 201 Roman Scholz In situ zaštita nalazišta i nadzor In Situ Site Protection and Monitoring 7. Zaključak / Conclusion 207 Luka Bekić, Roman Scholz Zaključak Conclusion 211 Literatura / Bibliography Sadržaj / Contents

This article aims at understanding the evolution of the administrative
methods devised by the Spanish monarchy to interact with regional
private initiative for the production of warships. It also aims at
understanding the practice of financing naval shipbuilding in the royal
shipyards of Spain and Spanish America by public contribution, in the
form of both credit and voluntary donations. These processes were
largely influenced by the need of both political systems to perform
efficiently in war. This article addresses the relationship between the
state and local entrepreneurs and examines the reach and objectives
of the Habsburg and Bourbon naval administrations, seen as variants
of the ‘contractor state’.

Professionalism is an everyday word and something we expect to be present in many aspects of our lives. However, this was not always so, and the birth of professionalism in specific trades often marks their entrance into the modern economy. In this article the author investigates the hidden secrets of a sixteenth-century cargo vessel from the Western Baltic, and shows it to be the oldest example of a specific type of professionalism so far found in traditional Scandinavian shipbuilding.

Au xviii e siècle, les constructeurs de navires semblent se détacher progressivement du monde des métiers de la construction navale en acquérant une identité socio-professionnelle reposant sur des savoirs et savoir-faire spécifiques dont les modalités d'acquisition constituent un enjeu de la recherche. L'autonomisation de ce métier a lieu dans un contexte où la construction navale devient un secteur productif majeur en France, stimulé par l' essor des trafics océaniques et le cabotage européen. Les constructeurs sont désormais des entrepreneurs capables de diriger des chantiers, de traduire et d'anticiper les besoins de leurs commanditaires en développant une « pensée technique du navire » qui se manifeste par la réalisation de devis de plus en plus riches et de plans. Ce rôle majeur dans l' économie maritime permet aux constructeurs de développer une expertise sur laquelle s'appuient les pouvoirs locaux et l'État pour réguler le travail et la vie économique de la sphère portuaire.

This article aims at understanding the evolution of the administrative methods devised by the Spanish monarchy to interact with regional private initiative for the production of warships. It also aims at understanding the practice of financing naval shipbuilding in the royal shipyards of Spain and Spanish America by public contribution, in the form of both credit and voluntary donations. These processes were largely influenced by the need of both political systems to perform efficiently in war. This article addresses the relationship between the state and local entrepreneurs and examines the reach and objectives of the Habsburg and Bourbon naval administrations, seen as variants of the ‘contractor state’.

This study focuses on the impact of globalisation on the German shipbuilding industry from 1960 to 2000. Oral history methods allow for the study of the workers' perspective on corporate responses and international and national industrial policies as a history 'from below'. The findings reveal how the increasing globalisation of the competitive environment forced shipyards to introduce innovative technologies to reduce production costs and labour intensity, with significant implications for workforce diversity and employment over time. Migrant workers were especially affected. From the 1980s onwards, they were gradually displaced, their work environments became increasingly precarious, and their access to highly skilled work areas was systematically constrained. Overall, the findings contribute to our understanding of how corporate responses to globalisation emphasising high technology interrelate with changes in employment in an industry traditionally shaped by a low-skilled migrant workforce.