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SHIPBUILDING: CREATING
A PROSPEROUS NATIONAL ECONOMY
âPatriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in itâ
â George Bernard Shaw
A peep into history
Mankind has been using boats and then ships right from the day man began to settle along the rivers. The first reference of a floating vessel dates back to around 10,000 years ago and the earliest evidence of boats is provided by the Egyptians from their Neolithic period between 6000 and 5000 BCE.a The Egyptians, during the Nile Valley Civilisation, considered boats to be Godâs chariots for transportation from one place to another. One of Egyptâs oldest templesâthe Edfu temple (built between 237 and 57 BCE)âhas got a boat kept in the main sanctum as illustrated in figure 1.1 (a) (plate 1). Figure 1.1 (b) (plate 1) shows the relics on the walls of ancient Egyptian temples. Ancient Egyptians considered boats to be divine, and the boat/ship builders were looked upon with great regard and respect, as builders of Godâs chariots. It can be also noted from this that the ancient Egyptians had the knowledge and skills to build different types of sailboats.
By around 3000 BCE, the Egyptians had the skills and expertise to assemble wooden planks into a hull1 using woven straps to lash the planks together and seal the gaps using reeds or grass.b A group of 14 boats, known as the âAbydos boatsâ built with this technology, has been unearthed in Egypt as can be seen in figure 1.2 (plate 1). These boats are 75 ft (22.8 m) long and 7 ft 10 in (2.3 m) wide. Another remarkable example of their boat-building skill is the âKhufu shipâ, a vessel 143 ft (44 m) long built around 2500 BCE, which has been excavated, preserved, and located near the Giza pyramids.
Figure 1.1 (a): Sanctum at the Edfu temple with a boat built between 237â57 BCE
Figure 1.1 (b): An ancient Egyptian temple wall inscription showing a sailing boat
Figure 1.2: An Abydos boat built around 3000 BCE
The Indus Valley Civilisation was known to use boats around 3000 BCE; it was also well-known for their skills in constructing boats and sail ships.c Lothal in Gujarat, which was part of this civilisation, appears to have been the boat-building centre, as it could get building materials from the Gujarat forests. Five anchors made of stone have been found at Lothal.d Lothal had the worldâs first dock, which was trapezoid-shaped measuring approximately 214 Ă 36 m built before 2000 BCE.e The photograph of this dock is illustrated in figure 1.3 (plate 1). The archaeological findings from this civilisation reveal that there was a vibrant and dynamic maritime network, using a variety of watercraft, during the 2nd millennium BCE. A double-ended vessel, with a crescent-shaped hullâprobably made of reeds bundled with lashingâis observed in a stone seal from Mohenjodaro. A graffito from the same place represents a vessel with a mast and steering oars or side rudders at the stern of the ship, while a terracotta boat model from Lothal represents a square-sterned vessel with a sharp bow, with fittings for rigging.f
Figure 1.3: Dock at Lothal during the Indus valley civilisation before 2000 BCE
[Source: SR Rao, âLothal and the Indus civilizationâ, (India: Popular Press Pvt. Ltd., 1973)]
Before recorded history, the fishing community living along the coast of South India had built boats by tying wooden logs together with coconut coir rope. In the Tamil language (one of the South Indian languages) âtied woodâ is known Kattu Maram, and these boats known as Kattumaram are popularly used for fishing even today. It is from this name that the modern day terminology of catamaran has been derived.
In the 11th century, a Sanskrit book âYuktikalpataruâ attributed to King Bhoja Narapati is known to bring out shipbuilding standards existing during that time.g This book describes the measurement system used for ship construction. In those days, ships had been classified as âsea goingâ (ViĹeĹa) and âriver goingâ (SÄmÄnya). In addition, ships had been classified based on the length and location of the cabinâSarvamandira (ships with cabins extending from one end of the deck to the other; these ships were recommended for the transport of royal treasures and horses), Madhyamarnandira (ships with cabins only in the middle part of the deck; these ships were recommended for pleasure trips), and Agramandira (these ships were used mainly in warfare). This book describes the characteristics of the wood and iron nails that were used in shipbuilding. The details of painting, decoration, and furnishing of ships that were comfortable for passengers is described. This book also indicates the right season for building ships. India, thus, has had a very rich historical/traditional association with shipbuilding.
The raft form of boats, which were propelled by oars, gradually evolved into sail ships. The sail ships built by each country were different in terms of the number of masts and sails used. These sailing ships were used by adventurous seafarers to explore the various sea routes, and new sea routes and countries were identified. This led to the mapping of the world, and later, facilitated trade and commerce between different corners of the earth. Coastal countries started protecting their coasts by building floating fortresses. The first known such fortress, dates back to the period 722 to 200 BCE of the ancient Chinese Zhou dynasty.h These were large rectangular barges known as âcastle shipsâ with multiple decks and guarded ramparts.
With the advent of the industrial revolution,2 new technology developed. Steel and steam engines were available, which impacted shipping and shipbuilding in a large way. Ships were fitted with propellers because of which they could move faster, and did not depend on wind power. Wooden hulls got transformed to strong steel ships. Technology also supported the development of equipment and gadgets like reliable compasses, etc., which facilitated the seafarer to explore the sea further and at a faster pace.
The importance of sea, ships, trade, and maritime security was well understood by every country, and those who neglected it, were getting extinct from the global map. Sea trade gradually led to the setting up of trade partners. Each country was also securing its maritime borders using its fleet of battleships, and this helped the country to expand its power. The industrial revolution was also facilitating the European countries to produce more goods. The Europeans were, therefore, looking for markets beyond their boundary to sell their products and this led to colonisation. Acquiring and defending colonies warranted sea fighting capability, and thus naval forces were becoming essential. During this era, it was getting very clear that âhe who rules the sea, rules the worldâ.
Ships and their types
Ships, which are the largest mobile man-made objects on this earth, can be classified under various categories, based on their mode of propulsion,3 type of hull,4 hull material,5 operating route,6 purpose,7 etc.
Commercial ships or merchant ships are used for various purposes such as cargo trade, transportation of passengers, fishing,8 tourism,9 and special purposes.10 Of these categories, the cargo carrying ships form the major portion of commercial ships; there are different types of ships in this category such as the tanker,11 the Bulk Carrier (BC),12 the container,13 the General Cargo (GC),14 the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)/Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)15ship, the Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro)16 ship, etc. The world fleet as on 2011 had 1,03,392 seagoing commercial vessels with a combined tonnage of 1,396 million Deadweight17(DWT).i In this, BCs account for 532 million DWT, tankers for 475 million DWT, containers for 184 million DWT, and G...
