Shipbuilding from its beginnings. Vol. 1 (of 3)Konijnenburg, E. van (Emile)
History
Shipbuilding from its beginnings. Vol. 1 (of 3)
Konijnenburg, E. van (Emile)
Shipbuilding -- History; Ships -- History
The frigate occupies an important place especially at the end of the
XVIIIth and beginning of the XIXth centuries. It has been seen in the
preceding chapter how it came to us. This vessel, rigged in different
ways, bore various names, such as: “Gaffelschoener”, “Brigantijn”,
“Schoenerbrik”, “Brik”, “Bark”. Reference is made in this connection to
the various plates of the collection relating to rig.
THE GALLIOT.
When one reads that the King of Denmark stopped, in 1587, more than
600 Dutch ships in the Sound, ships which had all left the Vlie in a
day as related by Hendrik Rantzon; see ~Witsen~, (p. 36), it must not
be imagined that they were all large vessels. It is very probable, on
the contrary, that most of them were no larger than the kuffs and hoys
of the present time. It is easy to form an idea of the characteristic
appearance of the Zuyder Zee, at this period, where the many fishing
vessels then in use swarmed about all these ships. The Zuiderzee is
well and rightly named therefore the cradle of our shipbuilding art.
The little coast towns of the Zuiderzee, with their glorious past, are
its witnesses.
Hence, there will be no cause for astonishment that, in the course of
the many wars waged between Holland and Friesland and Gelderland,
innumerable battles should have been fought on the Zuiderzee. Thus,
for example, a naval battle was fought in 1504 between Holland and
Gelderland, which was described by Wilhelm Hermszoon, an Augustine monk
(~Witsen~, appendix, p. 19). This author relates that the Gelderlanders
came down the Zwarte Water with a large number of “Kochevers” to
surprise the Hollanders, who had seven armed boats. He adds that the
Hollanders understood war better than the Gelderlanders, for the latter
used only the bow, the cross bow and the sling, and that finally, the
largest of the Holland ships having grounded, the Hollanders succeeded
in frightening the Gelderlanders so much by firing their arquebusses,
that they made them give up the fight.
The same author relates, at another place, that, on the advice of the
Spanish merchants, the inhabitants of Amsterdam caused a ship called
“Galeoot” to be laid down and that a year was required to build it.
This ship could be propelled by sail or with oars. It was handled by 32
rowers. It was called the “Terror of the Zuiderzee”.
[Sidenote: II 241]
[Sidenote: III 58]
These narratives are interesting in this that, in telling about the
battle of the Zuiderzee, a “Kochever” is spoken of, which proves that
the “Koch” or “Kogge” and the “Ever” are closely related. They also
show that the “Galliot” came to us from abroad. The “Galliot”, like the
“Ever”, is still met with to-day; but it is no longer handled by oars.
Our ships of the XVIth century were much smaller also than those of
the states to the South; our navigation toward the Baltic was almost
exclusively coasting and required smaller vessels.
[Sidenote: II 225]
[Sidenote: II 226]
[Sidenote: III 20]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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