Shipbuilding from its beginnings. Vol. 1 (of 3)

by E. van Konijnenburg

CLASSIFICATION OF SHIPS

I. WAR VESSELS.

II. MERCHANTMEN.
A) For over seas trade;
B) For coasting trade and tidal streams.

III. FERRIES.

IV. BOATS FOR SUNDRY USES AND NOT BELONGING TO THE PRECEDING GROUPS.

V. BOATS FREQUENTING THE UPPER PARTS OF RIVERS (BOVENLANDERS).
A) For the Rhine;
B) For the Meuse;
C) For the Upper Rhine and the basin included between the Rhine and the Meuse.

VI. FISHING VESSELS.
A) For deep sea fishing;
B) For the coasting and river fisheries.

I.
WAR VESSELS.

In the matter of the evolution of the war ship, properly so-called, the reader needs merely to be referred to the preceding chapters.

Before about 1675, there were, as a first war ship proper: the Pinasschip (Pinace) and later the Spiegelschip (a square stern ship). The square sterned Spiegel disappeared and then round sterns were again taken up, whence resulted the war ship called Schip van oorlog. At the beginning, this class of vessels was made up exclusively of ships with two decks. At the end of the XVIIth century, however, a few types with three decks were built in the Netherlands.

Use was often made of the “Fluitschip” (flute or transport), of ships of the East India Company (“Oost-Indische Compagnie schip”), of “yachts” (“Jachten”) and of various sorts of vessels of less importance, as auxiliary war ships, and of tenders (“Boeier”), galliots (“Galjoot”), galeas (“Galeas”), “Bommen”, kuffs (“Koffs”) and smacks (“Smaks”) as coast defence vessels.

All these vessels belong rather to the category of merchant ships and will be described in the next chapter.

Among the types imitated from abroad there may be mentioned the Fregat (frigate), and later the Brik (brig), the Schooner and the Bark.

II.
MERCHANT VESSELS.

A) For over seas navigation.

The oldest merchant ship was the cog “Koggeschip”, from which are descended the “Hulken” and “Krayers”. The planking of these ships is clinker laid. Then vessels were built with more nearly rounded bottoms and the carvel-built side appeared in the second half of the XVth century. The resulting type was the Barge or “Baertze”.

Meanwhile, the construction of castles was begun on these ships, just as on the old cogs. These castles became gradually more important, imitating what had been done on the Spanish, Portuguese and Genoese ships. A type of vessel which, in accordance with the Spanish model, carried large castles was the Carack or Galleon (“Kraak”)·

This vessel disappeared from our country in the course of the XVIth century, at the end of which appeared the flyboats (“Vlie or Vlietbooten”) called later Flutes (“fluiten”).

These vessels departed from the preceding types by having a marked tumble in of the topsides. Hence the hull was full and the deck was narrow. The flutes were the merchantmen “par excellence” up to the beginning of the XIXth century.

The “Spiegelschip” also appeared toward the end of the XVIth century; it acted as a merchantman in the same way as the similar vessel of the Mediterranean. This vessel was called, at the beginning of the XVIIth century, Pinnace (“Pinasschip”).

The Pinnace became more rounded in the second half of the XVIIth century; it carried also a more nearly vertical stern and a smaller beakhead. From it came the East India Company’s ship (“Oost-Indisch Compagnie Schip”).

The flutes continued to hold their own alongside of the various types of vessels, but changes were made to adapt them better to the use for which they were intended, and so it was that the Noordvaerder or Walvischvaerder (whaling ship) and Oostvaerder (vessel of the Baltic Sea) made their appearance.

Small “Spiegelschepen”, having a lighter rig than the others, appeared elsewhere in the XVIIIth century under the name of Rinds (“Snauschepen”).

Two other types of large fishing vessels for the open sea were built, viz: the howker or hoy (“Hoeker”) and the bush (“Buys”) which will be found under the chapter of fishing vessels.

Still another ship comes to us from abroad as a merchantman: the Frigate, while the Tenders (“Boeiers” or “Kromstevens”) had been imitated already from models of the French navy.

These vessels appeared in the XVIIth century as the result of the traffic with the city of Rouen (WITSEN, p. 164, 2^nd col.).

From combinations of these types of vessels among each other or with smaller types have arisen certain kinds of boats called by the following names: the “Boot”, which was nothing but a small flute having a “draai-over-boord” stern; the “Hekboot”, derived from the pinnace and the Galliot; the “Katschip” (cat-boat), from the tender and flute; and finally the “Stokker”, which had the bow of a “Spiegelship” with the stern of a howker.

Let it be remarked in passing that it is hard to separate clearly navigation over seas from navigation along shore, for even small kuffs (“koffen”) have been chartered for the Indies in many cases.

The distinction made here between navigation over seas and navigation along shore bears especially on the original destination of the vessels.

B) For navigation along shore.

The largest types of vessels for navigation along shore were represented by the galliot (“Galjoot”) and the galeas (“Galeas”); then by the kuff (“Kof”) and the smack (“Smak”).

The “Damloopers”, the “Smalschepen” and the Wijdschepen as well as the “Friesche turfschepen” (the peat boats of Frisia) belonged to the family of the smacks.

These boats all came from a single type and differed only in some detail, of which local needs forced the adoption.

The family of the smacks gave rise to the hoys (“Tjalken”).

The hoys were found especially in Friesland and in Groningen. In the province of Holland, where they underwent a few slight changes, they were called Schuiten.

In Zealand, their deck was narrower and they were called “Poonen”.

In North Holland they were designated as “Jacht” (Yachts). Contrary to what was done for the “Poon”, the bottoms of these boats were not so wide as those of the hoys. On the Belgian Scheldt, they were rather finer and known by the name of “Pleiten”, or of “Otters” for the smallest ones.

Eastern Frisia had similar vessels; they were called “Motten” and bore some resemblance to the “Kuffs”.

There is still to be found a very old type of merchant vessel, descended from the old fishing boats and called “Ever” or “Bremerkahn”.

Independently of the family of the hoys, there has existed from the most distant times, in Overyssel, a distinct type of vessel which in the XVIIth century, and in Witsen’s time, included the “Potten” and “Pujen”. Changes were made later in these vessels and they are still met with at the present time under the name of Snijboon (literally: French or string bean) from which is descended the pram (“Praam”). The same shape, but with reduced dimensions, is also found in the “Somp” and the “Pegge”.

The type of these vessels is distinguished from that of the smacks by the shape of the bow and stern which are tapering while these parts are rounded in the smacks.

Many combinations have also been made in this class of vessels; they have given birth amongst others to the “Koftjalks”, the “Praamaaks” and the “Aaktjalks”. The Tenders (“Boeiers”) should also be mentioned, but these vessels had scarce any resemblance to the old “Kromstevens”.

Finally, let the “Kraken” be again mentioned, from which all characteristics common to the Spanish caracks had disappeared. They were very strong hoys with quite straight lines, which gave them less sheer.

III.
FERRIES.

The ferries properly so-called included the Pontoons, among which may be mentioned: the Gierpont, the Kabelveerpont, the Jaagpont (for ferrying horses), the Halve Pont (pontoon using a sail); the Pijper (small pontoon) and the Overhaalpontje (skiff).

Other kinds of boats were used as ferries, such as the Veerhengsten, which belonged to the family of the “Hoogaarsen” (see fishing boats), the hoys, the “Schuiten” and the “Poonen”, all of them types of vessels already met in what precedes.

IV.
BOATS FOR VARIOUS USES BUT NOT BELONGING TO THE PRECEDING GROUPS.

It is needless to say that the groups of boats I, II, III specified above include also a large number of small craft, intended for local use, which all come down from the same fundamental group; their destination only varies.

Among the more important of these are the “Bokken” found as much in Holland[20] as in Frisia. To this family also belong the Groningeraardappelpramen (prams used in Groningen for carrying potatoes), the Frisian Snikken, with a raking stem and similar in this respect to the Haarlemmermeerplompertjes (small boats on Haarlem Lake).

When the sternpost has a good deal of a rake the boat is called a Westlander and when vessels of this class have a strake less, like the dredging boats of the Hague, they form the “Bokken”, which must not be confounded with those which have been already mentioned.

Near Vollenhove, to the north of Overijssel, there is still to be met a well known small boat, the Punter, descended probably from the Haaringschuitje (a small boat used for the herring fishery) of the Zuiderzee. The Groenteschuitje from Hoorn (for transporting vegetables) is exactly like it. These vessels are narrow and have a great deal of rake in the stem and the sternpost.

The same origin must be attributed to the Utrecht pram and to the Kromme Rijnaak, but the length of these boats is proportionately greater when compared with the beam.

Outside of the preceding types, there are still found the “Snik” or the Gondel of North Holland, which very much resembles the “Oude Kinderdijksche Hoogars”, as well as the “Oude Vischschuit van Aalsmeer” (very old fishing boat from Aalsmeer).

Setting aside a very considerable number of small Schouwen which are nothing but covered and flat ferry boats, which already appear in the old engravings, there are still to be met in Holland the “Schiedamsche schouwen” or the “Melk en Spoelingschuiten” (boats used to carry milk and the residuum of fruits from which the juice has been pressed out). They are long flat-bottomed boats with flat bow and stern.

A special family of boats is made up of the “Barges” and “Trekschuitjen” (literally “boats hauled from the shore”) which exist all through the Netherlands. Almost all these boats are alike; they came originally from Holland and spread all through the rest of the country as fast as the canals were built.

The “Trekschuiten” are still particularly in vogue in the province of Drenthe, but the construction of railways and tram lines is slowly driving them out.

There are still other vessels, the Baggeraken (dredging lighters) which are very common in the Netherlands.

The special conformation of our rivers and arms of the sea required constant dredging to maintain the depth of the ports and navigable passes; but they were far from possessing such perfected machinery as have the modern dredges: the “Hand-” or “Hijschbeugel” (hand dredge) was the only apparatus used for dredging in former times.

The boats used for this purpose went under the general name of “Baggeraken”. The best known type was the flat (“Vlet”), or the “Baggeraak” still called the Sliedrechtsche Aak.

Even now, the “Boeieraken” are still often used for dredging. These vessels belong to the type of round bottomed craft. Other boats of a special kind used at Dordrecht for the same purpose were known by the names of: Vreeswijksche Zandlichter and Dortsche Zandschuit (boats used for dredging sand and having a great analogy with each other). They were used almost exclusively for dredging the ballast used by ships starting for sea. They have now almost wholly disappeared.

Bokken are used almost exclusively for dredging and for taking out sand from the downs in the West of the country and in the region of the Rhine. Their shape is almost identical with that of the “Westlanders” but there is no planking above the planksheer. In the province of Utrecht, the Slijkpramen are used for the same purpose. They correspond to the “Kromme Rijnaak”, the general type of the Utrecht boat. In the province of Groningen, mud is carried by the “Groninger Slijkpraam”, or “Vlotpraam”, a narrow boat with a rounded bottom which has nothing in common with the “Overijselsche praam” and which does not resemble it in any way.

The forerunner of our dredges is the old Moddermolen (literally, mud mill) or Moddermolenschip used at Amsterdam since 1575.

The Zolderschuiten and the Schouwen, now called “Bakken”, may be mentioned as very old boats. Vessels of this sort were supplied, in 1829, with trap doors in the bottom, whence come Klepschouwen or Onderlossers (literally: boats discharging through the bottom).

Finally, it is proper to mention also, in the class of vessels under consideration, the pleasure boats, or sailing Yachts, for which the Boeierjacht (in South Holland) and the Tjotter (in Friesland) are used as Dutch types.

It is important to note here that pleasure boats are most generally called “Yachts”, even though these vessels have frequently no resemblance to the Yacht properly so called. Hence the name does not always mark the type.

V.
VESSELS FREQUENTING THE UPPER PARTS OF RIVERS (BOVENLANDERS).

All vessels which frequent the upper rivers are called generally “Bovenlanders” be their shape what it may.

These vessels, in spite of the interest which they offer, have rarely aroused attention; WITSEN devotes only a few words to them and calls them simply “Aaken” or “Samoreuzen” (p. 170, col. 2), and VAN YK also gives them this latter name (p. 318).

A) Boats of the Lower Rhine.

The Rhenish boats are of no uniform type. Those which frequent the lower part of the river (below Bonn) differ from those which circulate on the Upper Rhine and its tributaries, save for a small craft found on the Neckar which corresponds with the type below.

The fundamental type of the downstream section is represented by the Dorstensche Aak, and this latter has produced the Stevenschip.

These types, originating in the part of Western Germany of which Dorst is the centre, were imported into our country and have existed there for a very long time. This is why the “Geldersche Samoreuzen” are already mentioned in the XVIIth century. Although badly shown, they are to be seen also on old engravings. They are seen circulating on the Lower Rhine and the Waal where they are called Hollandsche Aaken and Stevenschepen; even now, they are still built in North Brabant where they have been in existence for a very long time.

These types of vessels came from the West of Germany (Westphalia) and entered the Netherlands by way of the Lower Rhine and the Waal, and through the North-West of North Brabant. They are not met with on the Meuse, or on the Lower Waal below Tiel. Aaken have been built on a small scale along the Merwede, and at other points of Holland, where this same type was again found in the old clinker-built “Turfeiker” which seems now to have disappeared entirely. The hulls of all these craft were made in the beginning by overlapping planks, hence it was the old mode of construction used on the Baltic Sea. These vessels were all long, narrow and flat-bottomed, like the “Bovenlanders”.

B) Boats of the Meuse.

The Meuse boats, also long and narrow, form a special class of which the type differs completely from that of the Rhenish craft just mentioned.

The Whalemajol, the Whalepont and the Maaspont, as well as the smaller Spitsbek and the Herna, may be mentioned as fundamental types. All these types are found on the Belgian Meuse and in our country as far down as Roermond.

Small vessels called Bovenmaasche Aaken or Hedelsche Aaken, frequently used as dredging flats, are frequently found on the Lower Meuse in the Netherlands. The shape of these craft is different from that of the Meuse boats just mentioned from which, however, they are descended, but their rudder corresponds rather with that of the Rhenish craft which circulate above Bonn.

C) Boats of the Upper Rhine (above Bonn and inclusive of the regions West of the Rhine and East of the Meuse).

The fundamental type is here the Keen, and with it are found the Keenaak and a boat of more recent date, the Slof.

One of these types of boats was introduced at ’s Gravenmoer, in the XIXth century, because it appeared suitable for exploiting the osier beds at Biesbosch, but since then many changes have been made in the stern and the rudder.

None of these types has its origin in the Netherlands.

The “Hagenaar”, like the “Turfeiker”, corresponds to the “Dorstensche Aak”.

There is also found on the Upper Rhine, as well as on the Meuse, a boat called the Bunder which dates only from the XIXth century.

Aside from the “Bunder”, the hulls of the types of craft which have just been mentioned are clinker built. The vessels mentioned under letter B above must also have been clinker built formerly, judging by what old boatmen say and by what is seen on an old engraving of a Whalemajol, belonging to the collection of Mr. Van Gijn, as well as by what is shown on a stone, which dates from the end of the XVIIIth century, placed in the front of a house in Sint-Pieterstraat at Maastricht and representing a Herna. It is impossible to say whether carvel-built or clinker-built hulls existed at the same time, or whether the former are of more recent date. It may be assumed, however, that clinker-built hulls are older than the others.

It is interesting to note that a type which closely resembles the Herna is still to be found on the Adriatic sea, especially the Rascona already described and represented in Paris’s well known work (vol. II, n^o 86); this vessel is still steered by means of the old “Slurriem” (steering oar).

VI.
FISHING BOATS.

A) For deep sea fishing.

The Buys (bush) and the Hoeker (howker), together with the Scholschuit, the Basanschuit and the Zwartewaalsche Gaffelaar should be mentioned as old types of Dutch boats intended for deep sea fishing.

The Hoekerbuis and the Kwee are descendants from the first two.

The “Sloep” (sloop), the “Logger” (Lugger) and the “Kotter” (cutter) come to us from France. It is important also to mention in connection with deep sea fishing the whale boats for which the Noortsvaerders were formerly used; these latter belong to the type of the “Fluitschepen” (flutes) already mentioned among the merchantmen.

The oldest vessel of the Noortsvaerders class is the Egmonder Pink, which gave birth to the Bom and to the smaller Garnalen Schuit (shrimp boat). These boats were so built that they could be grounded on the beach. After the fishing port of Scheveningen was finished, there appeared a new type of vessel descended from the “Logger” and the “Bom” and known by the name of “Loggerbom” or sometimes “Lelybom”.

B) Near shore and river fishing.

The great majority of fishing vessels is devoted to ordinary or near shore fishing. The dimensions of these craft were formerly much smaller than those of the vessels of the preceding group (at the present time, aside from the “Garnaalschuitjes”, some are built even larger). Their names are innumerable and so different that they give no idea either of their form or kind.

The fundamental types of the group include:

a) The Schokkers, built on the model of the ordinary “Schokkers”. To them also belong the “Wierschuitje”, the “Steeckschuit”, the “Henget” and the “Hoogaars”.

The “Akes”, which are met with in most of the types of boats (the “Aaktjalk”, for example) are also found, under the name of Tholensche Schouwen, in the class of vessels considered.

These craft are much like the Beyerlandsche Schuitjes and form, in a way, a sort of transition to the Vischboeicraakjes.

b) The Botters as well as the Vollendammer Kwakken, the Ronsen, the Pluten and the Platjes van Maassluis.

A third group is formed by short round-bottomed little boats of which

c) The Knotsen of Antwerp are the prototypes. The “Bollen”, and the “Lemmerjachten” or “Lemmeraaken” belong to the same group.

Finally, a fourth group is formed of vessels having a greatly raking stern and sternpost, called

d) Haaringschuiten to which the widely scattered Punters also belong.

In conclusion, there may also be mentioned several types of small fishing boats, which frequent exclusively our inland rivers and canals, and present very often more or less marked resemblances to the types given under the letters a to d. They are the following:

The Visscherschuitje van Aalsmeer; the Gondel; the Vischboeiertje; the Woudrichemsch Vischschuitje; the Prikschuit; the Steekschuit van de Biesbosch and the Strooperschuitje.

Many rowboats of the most varied types, as well as old “botters” no longer fit for sea, and “schokkers” from the Zuiderzee, serve also for fishing on the inland navigable highways.

[14] Vessels bringing wood from the North take on larger cargoes as they approach more nearly the rectangular form; those carrying grain and crops when they are rounded. Vessels from the North and the Indies carrying heavy freights are generally larger than those which carry crops, wines, etc., as are also the boats which carry salt.

[15] But if it be remembered that, by reason of deep holds and better loading, all boats tend more and more toward the rectangular shape, it is seen that now there are no longer found as many differences in the various forms of vessels as used formerly to exist. For a well built modern hull will be, so far as cargo capacity is concerned, but little inferior to the Smalschip which resembles it in length, beam and draught of water. And the well built “Damschuit” will also be able to hold its own against the “Damlooper” up to a certain point.

[16] The rounding of these boats forward and aft was of advantage to the boatman as they could take on a much larger load than that given by their gauge.

[17] When a hole, caused by a cannon ball below the water line, cannot be stopped from the inside, because the cargo, for example, interferes with the operation, a man is placed outside the boat on a plank to which is secured a step which lets him go under water to close the hole. He takes an oiled rag in his mouth to prevent the water from getting inside of his body.

[18] It (de luierwagen) serves to support the forward end of the tiller and also to resist the force exerted by the helmsman on the tiller of the rudder.

[19] A long opening worked in the bulwarks at the stern of the vessel, allowed the tiller to swing well from side to side. Draai over boord means simply that the tiller can swing entirely clear above the rail.

[20] Holland means here the two provinces of the Netherlands called North and South Holland.

DESCRIPTION OF TYPES OF VESSELS

A few sketches, taken from old engravings and descriptions, have been added to the plates of this work. They give an idea of the development of the ship from 1200 to 1600 inclusive. Reference is made, for more details in regard to them to the preceding chapters. As the drawings refer to the period subsequent to 1600, they are all made in accordance with the working drawings.

As has been repeated many times over, the old forms will have to be sought in the small types of vessels. Ships of war will, therefore, be set aside, while large merchant men will receive only a passing mention.