According to me the three most important innovations that helped to change the sailing ship are the sail, rudder and the anchor. The sail utilized the power of the wind to help drive the ship. The ancient Egyptians were the first to utilize the sail to power the ships. The exact date the sail was invented is not known clearly, but inscriptions of a sail on an ancient Egyptian pot suggest that it may date back to about 5000 years ago. For the first time a sail was utilized was basically to help to resist the currents on water.
However, later it was felt that the power of the wind could help to move the ship in the water and hence move huge amount of distances in the water. For the first time the sail was utilized was on the Nile River in 3100 BC. This type of sail was primitive and contained no merely than pieces of cloth that were sewed together in the front of the ship. Today the sail has created a huge impact affecting global trade. Initially before the sail was invented, people used oars to help propel the ship in the right direction.Having a sail now meant that the humans were not required to move the ships forward.
Sails ensured that ships were automatically driven. Ships of all sizes gradually began sails aboard. Initially the Egyptians utilized the skin of animals to make sails. These pieces of skin were sewn together and attached to wooden poles.
Soon the Greeks, Phoenicians and the Cretans began to utilize sails on their ships. The Egyptians also began to utilize papyrus reeds for the sails. Different types of sails were utilized for different boats.Smaller boats had two square sails that helped to utilize the wind. In large boats, one huge sail was used.
The Sails could slowly be moved which made steering of the ship possible. Now ships could be used to sail upstream also. Using fore and aft sails it was possible to propel the ship according the changes in the direction of the wind. In certain kingdoms flags, symbols, etc were painted on the sails which was to demonstrate which region the ship belonged. In ancient Egypt, a boat having a huge sail was utilized to propel the boat containing a dead pharaoh.The body of the pharaoh was mounted on the boat, upstream.
Using the wind power, the boat slowly reached the sea and continued its journey (HSSD, 2008). Another invention that had revolutionised ships was the rudder. These were nothing but devices that was placed at the ship’s stern to help steer the ship through the waters. It was basically a flat sheet of material.
To the rudder, the tiller is attached which would have to turn the rudder in a particular direction. The ancient Egyptians were the first to utilize the rudder as early as the 3000 BC.Today remains of these boats are seen. During the middle ages, rudders were utilized in Europe. Slowly ships became larger and larger and the small rudders merely attached to poles were now replaced with stern-mounted rudders attached to pintle and gudgeon around the 12th Century AD.
Studies have even shown that the Ancient Chinese may have been the first to utilize stern-mounted rudders in their boats (as early as 1st century CE). However, the European rudder was very much different from the Chinese rudder and this was mainly because the new rudder was discovered independently.Before the Europeans could use rudders, steering oars had to be utilizing to direct boats, which was a very painstaking job. Only through the use of rudders were long voyages possible.
In an ancient church inscription dating back to 1180 AD, a rudder was found. In Europe, the rudders and compasses technology began to be utilized almost at the same time. The use of the rudder and the compass ensured that chips could now be steered in the right direction. In history there were many forms of rudders that were used.
The Ancient Chinese were the first to use a fenestrated rudder (containing holes).This did not diminish the functioning of the rudder but made it possible to turn the boat at higher speeds. Today torpedo boats utilize fenestrated rudders to maneuver high speed turns. The Ancient Chinese also utilized balanced rudders which were more user-friendly. It was only during the 19th century that the balanced rudders were used in Europe.
The rudder found another new modern application – As a tool to steer aircrafts. This rudder is attached to the tail fin of the aircraft to help to balance the various forces that may be encountered whilst turning the aircraft.The ailerons in the aircraft would be controlling the turning. Usually, the rudder of an aircraft is controllable through a foot control device. In some aircrafts, the rudder is automatically controlled (Experience Festival, 2008 & China Culture, 2008).
Another invention that helped to transform ships was the anchor. These were nothing but heavy objects that were utilized to fix ships at a certain point in the water. Anchors are of two types, permanent and temporary. Usually a ship would be using a temporary anchor, which is carried aboard.A permanent anchor is usually attached to the seabed or some object outside the ship.
An anchor would be attached to the vessel and would resist the forces of movement of the vessel by two mechanisms:- 1. Having a very bulky anchor 2. Hooking the anchor to the seabed To attach a ship in water is a very difficult task, as there are several forces that a ship has to resist. A modern anchor is built in a very complex design keeping in mind the various forces that the ship would have to resist.The various part of the anchor include the shank (central bar), Fluke (palms), crowns (position where the flukes are attached), etc. A permanent anchor comes in various shapes and designs.
Today permanent anchors contain sand screws which are attached to the seabed. The first anchors were utilized during the Bronze Age. In today’s shipping industry, anchors have to resist a lot of forces and hence permanent mooring or anchorage is required. In the old age, wooden anchors fixed to rocks at the bottom of the seabed were frequently utilized.Traditionally fishermen have been using kedge to anchor their fishing boats.
One portion of the kedge would be penetrating the seabed, whereas the other part would be standing out. Frequently, it is utilized by other types of boats especially to encounter storms. A type of anchor that has been traditionally utilized is the Grapnel. A few of the tines would dig into the ocean bed, whereas the other would stand tall.
This type of anchor has other applications such as to recover gear lost in the sea. It is most effectively used in seabed’s containing sand or mud (Offshore Engineering, 2008).
