Ship Spotter’s Guide

ANCIENT WARSHIPS

Mankind’s long association with the sea began in the Neolithic period, around 12,000 years ago – the earliest date archaeologists have found evidence of maritime trade. However, the earliest known images of boats came much later, around 5,500 years ago, when crude vessels were first depicted in rock carvings and pottery found in the valley of the River Nile and in Greece. One of these Greek craft, dated around 3500 BC, possibly contains the first depiction of a warship and a naval battle. It shows a light oared vessel with an archer on its deck.

By around 2000 BC pictorial images of boats become more commonplace, but it was not until about 1200 BC that we first see the depiction of craft that are indisputably warships. These date from the reign of Pharaoh Ramses III (reigned 1186–1155 BC), and show slender-oared galleys, fitted with a single mast and sail. Images of these ships taking part in a great naval battle commemorate the pharaoh’s victory over the Sea Peoples in c.1175 BC.

In the Aegean at around the same time, similar oared vessels appear on vase fragments and as votive models, and by the 8th century BC depictions of far more powerful Assyrian vessels appear – biremes, powered by two banks of oars. By the 6th century BC biremes are frequently depicted in Greek art, but by the end of the century they begin to be replaced by even larger triremes, with three overlapped oar banks. These evolved into the classic Greek trireme – the warships that triumphed over the Persians at the Battle of Salamis (480 BC) and which fought in the Peloponnesian War. By the 4th century BC four- and five-banked quadriremes and quinquiremes appear, and these became the primary warships in use during the First Punic War, fought between Carthage and Republican Rome. Roman naval supremacy in the Mediterranean basin rendered these great lumbering warships unnecessary, which led to a return to lighter but faster biremes, ideal for hunting down pirates. These remained in use until after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Egyptian War Galley

Ship details

This warship is based on the relief of Ramses III at Medinet Habu c.1175 BC. These ships were probably the pride of the Egyptian Navy and at the cutting edge of current technology. Though they bear similarities with earlier Egyptian vessels, the rigging, loose-footed sail, transverse beams strengthening the hull and simplified bow and stern decorations make them similar to those of other Mediterranean cultures.

Athenian Trireme

Ship details

This artwork depicts an Athenian trireme. The fundamental innovation of a 5th century BC trireme was that the oarsmen were not arranged in straight lines, but in three staggered banks. This arrangement meant that the rowers didn’t hamper each other, and there was no need for a high freeboard or an exceptionally long vessel.

SPECIFICATIONS: ATHENIAN TRIREME

Length: 36.80m (120ft)

Beam (hull): 3.65m (12ft)

Beam (outriggers): 5.45m (18ft)

Draught: 1.20m (4ft)

Displacement: 41.3 tons

Crew total: 200

Oarsmen: 170

62 upper oarsmen

54 middle oarsmen

54 lower oarsmen

Armed men: 14

10 citizen marines

4 mercenary archers

Specialist seamen: 16

1 sea captain

1 helmsman

1 bo’sun

1 bow officer

1 shipwright

1 double-pipe player

10 deck hands

THE NORSE LONGSHIP

The earliest representation of Scandinavian ships date from the late Stone Age, around 2000 BC, while the first surviving vessel is the Hjortspring boat, built around 200 BC. This was a simple wooden dugout with built-up plank sides, which has been seen as the forerunner of the more developed Nydam and Kvalsund boats, whose remains date to the 4th and 7th centuries respectively. The style of the two is similar, but the latter vessel was designed to carry a mast and sail.

Two other finds made during the same period shed greater light on the craft used by Norse seafarers. In 1904 the Oseberg ship was found inside a ship burial mound near Oslo. It was powered by 15 oars a side. It was a high status pleasure vessel rather than a longship, and was built around AD 950. The Gokstad ship, also found during the excavation of a burial mound, was built a few decades earlier than the Oseberg vessel, and was both larger and sturdier.

Since then other Norse ships have been uncovered, most notably at Skuldelev in Denmark, where the remains of an 11th century longship was recovered. These, combined with pictorial references and descriptions from Norse sagas, have combined to give us a detailed understanding of how these vessels were built and what they looked like. They were long and narrow, and a typical longship would have 30 oars per side, manned by 60 oarsmen. When not under oars the vessel would be powered by a single mast and square sail, and steered by a steering oar set on the starboard quarter. With this number of men on board there was little room for storage, particularly as the vessel was ballasted with up to 6 tons of large stones to ensure she remained stable and trim. Despite their long length to breadth ratio, these vessels were highly manoeuvrable and just as well suited to short voyages across the North Sea or the Baltic as to sailing up rivers in search of settlements and plunder.

Gokstad Ship

Ship details

The Gokstad ship was found with 64 painted shields in situ, lining the sides of the hull as shown here, however, they wouldn’t have remained there in any sort of rough weather. Although the original vessel lacked the elegantly carved stem and sternpost decoration shown here, contemporary images suggest that dragon carvings in the prow and curled stempost decorations were often used to augment a longship’s appearance.

SPECIFICATIONS: LONGSHIP (BASED ON SKULDELEV LONGSHIP FIND)

Length: 29.4m (96ft 5in)

Beam (hull): 3.8m (12ft 6in)

Draught: 1.00m (3ft 3in)

Displacement: 15 tons

Mast height: 14m (46ft)

Sail area: 118m² (1,270ft²)

Number of oarsmen: 60

Maximum capacity: 100 people

Knarr, 11th century AD

Ship details

An 11th century knarr, cargo carrying vessel or trade ship, as it would have appeared en route to Iceland. Note the exposed conditions that had to be endured on the long voyages by the crew and passengers alike. Most Viking ships of the era shared the same basic construction.

WARSHIPS OF THE FAR EAST

The earliest surviving description of Oriental warships dates from 486 BC, but the details are scant. More information is obtained from sources from the Chinese Han Dynasty (202 BC–AD 220), when warships varied in size and function, from small oared rams to large oared ‘battleships’. These large and prestigious warships, some of which were several decks high, remained in use for several centuries. However, it was the medieval period before China built large fleets of war junks. The Mongol Invasion Fleet sent to Japan in the late 13th century is well documented, and these vessels differed from their mercantile