History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce, Volume 1 (of 4)Lindsay, W. S. (William Schaw)
History
History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce, Volume 1 (of 4)
Lindsay, W. S. (William Schaw)
Commerce -- History; Shipping -- History; Steam navigation -- History
Although many of the war-galleys of the ancients had high towers at the
stern, and at the bow, these were frequently temporary erections, not
interfering with the general plan of the hull of the ship, and varying
in form and size; the oar-ports, too, could not have been of the form
generally drawn. They are more likely to have been oblong, fashioned
so as to allow the oar—which in galleys of many banks could only have
been unshipped by being passed outwards—to be brought pretty close
alongside of the vessel when the rowers ceased work. In regard to the
seats, stools, or benches of the rowers, so frequently mentioned, and
which have created a good deal of controversy, the plan here suggested
satisfies all these requirements, for to each rower a separate seat or
stool attached to the oblique benches or steps is appropriated. The
height of each of the oar-ports above the level of the water in that of
the quinquereme, and in all vessels of greater dimensions, would be as
follows:—
ft. in.
From the first or lowest _port_ to water-line 2 0
Distance between 1st and 2nd port 1 9
” ” 2nd ” 3rd ” 1 9
” ” 3rd ” 4th ” 1 9
” ” 4th ” 5th ” 1 9
----
9 0
So that the height of the sill of the port on the fifth or highest bank
would be nine feet above the water-line.
The space between the rowers, seated on their respective benches or
platforms, doubtless varied according to the size of the galley. While
from four to six feet between each rower seated on the same level would
be ample in the case of uniremes, biremes, or triremes, galleys of the
larger class, in many cases, most likely had an intervening space of
from six to even ten feet, so as to afford room for the sweep of the
handles of the oars, and to enable the rowers to walk one or two steps
forward, and then throw themselves backwards with greater impetus into
their seats, as already described.
[Sidenote: Summary.]
The conclusions at which we have arrived may be condensed as follows:—
1. Ancient galleys were classed or rated according to their number of
banks, rows or tiers of oars.
2. All galleys above the unireme had their oar-ports placed obliquely
above each other in horizontal rows.
3. No galley had more than five horizontal rows.
4. Every galley, from the unireme to the quinquereme inclusive, derived
its name or class from the number of _horizontal_ rows.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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