answersLogoWhite

0

Shipbuilding is an imprecise science. There are certain ratios which work, and that is about all. The determinants of width (beam) are the purpose(s) for which the ship is intended. A warship neded a narrow beam for speed and manoeuvrability. A cargo ship or troop/horse transport obviously has to have a broad beam to fit in the intended cargo. Then the speed required comes into play - having got the width, streamlining requires a certain length to width. Then there is draught - does it have to be shallow draught to negotiate shallow waters, and even be drawn up on the beach, or is it to operate in deeper waters and anchor off the beach/bank. However the deeper the keel, the generally more stable the ship, and the more sail it can carry. Ancient warships were impelled by both oars and sail. Oars were used in action for manoeuvrability, and sails (supplemented by oars) for transit. To keep the vessel narrow and speedy, triremes had the oarsmen staggered over the side in outriggers. They were also flat bottomed to allow them to be drawn up on the beach overnight and defended from attack if a naval engagement was refused. There was also the matter of overland mobility. In the days before the Corinth Canal, both cargo and war ships were portered between the Aegean Sea and Corinth Canal/Adriatic Sea on rollers across the isthmus. Similarly the Vikings portered their ships across the low hills between the Baltic riverheads into the Black and Caspian Sea rivers, and so were able to go as far afield as Baghdad and Constantinople. The first rulers of a partly-unified Russia were Vikings.

User Avatar

Wiki User

17y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What is the ships width called?

Generally it is known as the Beam.


What is the width a rectangle?

That is decided by the person proposing or drawing the rectangle.


How did builders make the London bridge so long?

The length of the bridge was decided by the width of the river.


What happened politically after the Titanic sank?

well, many people were sad and they decided to improve ships.


How the width of address bus in 8085 decided?

The width of the address bus on the 8085 was decided based on a compromise between functionality, cost, and complexity. Intel decide to use 16 bits, as that was in keeping with common design at that time, and also because the 8085 was actually an enhanced version of the 8080.


Lily decided to let w stand for the width of the rectangle which problem solving step was this?

Laughing my butt off


Why did Francis Drake decided to take the long journey?

So he could avoid the Spanish ships from using their grappling hooks on them. Spanish armada had more soldiers so they tried to board the English ships.


What caused the Panama Canal?

U.S. ships were tired of taking the long way to get to a certain place so they decided to build the panama canal :)


Why were Liberty Ships built during World War 2?

WWII in Europe was decided by the movement of materiel across the Atlantic from the US to UK. Liberty ships were crucial to this venture. The predation of the UK maritime fleet by the German U boats was immense.


Why do you think General Cornwallis decided to surrender at the Battle of Yortown?

No choice. He was cut off, hoped to evacuate by ships on the York River, but the French Navy prevented that.


When two people are married and have a child together who has say in the name?

Normally it is discussed by both people and a name is decided. this may not happen in all relation ships


What are the voucher codes for street mobster game?

{| class="tdefault" | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |- | width="369" | | width="369" | |} ---- === === === === === === === ===