Old Ironsides Old ships need lots of good friends to keep them afloat. Wooden ships, in particular, are perishable, just like fruit and vegetables. The wood in the frames and…
READ MORE »
By Richard King In the great American novel Moby-Dick, Ishmael says he is particularly fond of a painting by the French artist, Ambroise Louis Garneray. He believes this work of…
READ MORE »
Did you know that the oldest form of insurance in history is marine insurance? The earliest records of this sort of business reach back to ancient times, when shipowners reduced…
READ MORE »
Lewis and Clarks’ Iron “Experiment” “…my greatest difficulty was the frame of the canoe, which could not be completed without my personal attention.” — Meriwether Lewis, 20 April 1803 Lewis…
READ MORE »OTHER TOPICS
Did You Know?
Today, shipyards have a number of ways to get a ship out of water, either by hauling it out or by floating it into a basin and the water pumped out.
Historically though, sea captains would careen their vessels in shallow water by either heaving it over on its side while it was still afloat or by anchoring in shallow water at high tide and then waiting for the tide to go out. The vessel would touch bottom, and, as the tide went out, lay over on its side.
How does one go about getting a ship, especially a big ship, high and dry out of the water today?