A BRITISH LINE-OF-BATTLE SHIP, 1790
This awkward ship is one of the type that made up the great fleets that fought, for instance, at Trafalgar. Nelson’s flagship, the Victory, is of this type.
The backbone of these ships was a heavy keel, below which was fitted a false keel, used, apparently, to take the wear that resulted from hauling the ships up on to the beach.
Above the keel a keelson, similar to the keelsons of to-day, was fitted, strengthening the keel and serving, also, as a strengthener to the ribs which were fastened beneath it.
The bows of these ships were very strongly constructed, for battle tactics called for the use of the ram. The ram, instead of being above the water, as it was on the older Egyptian ships, was at the water level, and was strengthened by the heavy timbers which formed the stem. In order to strengthen the hull still more, and to prevent as much as possible the strain of ramming from springing the seams, strong cables were wound once or twice around the whole hull from bow to stern. These were drawn up with levers and bound the ship tightly together, particularly as the cables shrank when they were wet. All these precautions were essential, for the ram on these ships was about ten feet long, and was seconded by a somewhat shorter ram above the water line.
The Athenian triremes were all about the same size—about one hundred and thirty feet long—and most of their equipment was standardized so that it was really interchangeable. The crews of these ships numbered a few more than two hundred. The rowers numbered one hundred and seventy, and there were ten or a dozen marines and about a score of seamen.
In building these triremes the frame was first set up and the ribs were covered on both sides with planking. Then around the outside of the ship at the water line a heavy timber was attached which, at the forward end, was carried out to form the ram, which was heavily sheathed with metal. A little above this strengthening timber there was another one similarly built, ending in the secondary ram, which sometimes had at its end a metal sheep’s head. Sometimes a third line of timbers was placed above this.
Running from bow to stern on both sides just above the topmost oars was a narrow platform, built out about two feet wide from the side of the ship. The ribs as they continued upward from this point curved inward, and their ends supported the cross beams that bound the ship together over the rowers’ heads and also served to support the deck. On this deck the marines, or heavily armed warriors, were placed in battle, while over their heads was stretched a stout awning of leather to protect them from the enemies’ arrows. The runways at the sides served as passageways and were used by the sailors in working the ship.
