Boating
and sailing became very important to the Greek way of life. The Greeks needed
ways to import and export trade goods both within Greece and to other countries.
The mountainous terrain of Greece made sailing the easiest way. Wars also caused
countries to learn about sailing. Navies became a must in these wars.
There
were three main types of boats during this time. One was the military ship, one
was the cargo ship, and there were also small craft. The military and cargo
ships played a major role in ancient Greek wars and shipping.
Greek
Warships
At
first, Greek warships started as long narrow one level ships. The ships were
designed to go fast so they could transport troops to the sights of battles.
These ships had a single tier (level) of 25 oarsmen on each side.
Over
time, Greek warships were improved drastically. The ships were made faster by
adding more oarsmen.
The most prominent fighting ship of this time was the
trireme. The Greeks started using the trireme extensively around 500 B.C.. The
trireme was better than the pentekontor because it had three times as many
oarsmen. The trireme was a very quick warship and could have reached speeds of
up to 14 knots in good weather. Triremes were approximately 118 feet long. There
was one problem with the trireme. It was rather light and was blown off course
when high winds arose. This lead the Greeks to make four tier boats called
quinqueremes. These four tiers of oars with two men to an oar.
Model of greek warship
Naval
Tactics
Naval
tactics play a very important role in any sea battle. In Classic Greece, the
most useful tactical manoeuvre was called diekplous, or in English
"break through and ram." The main weapon for ramming into enemy ships
was the bow of the ship. The Greeks would position their warships to ram the bow
into the side of the enemy ships. Once in position, the oarsmen would row their
warship very quickly into the hull of the enemy warship, and the bronze ram
would pierce the side of the enemy ship.
The
Greeks used very clever tactics to defeat the Persian fleet at the battle of
Salamis. In one encounter with the Persian fleet, the Greeks won because they
allowed the Persians to surround them. The Greek ships quickly turned to face
the Persian ships. Then the Greek ships travelled out towards the enemy ships
surrounding them, and hit the enemy ships at full speed, sinking many of the
Persian ships. This manoeuvre surprised the Persians because they did not
expect the Greeks to be so aggressive in attacking.
Cargo
Ships
The
second most common ship in ancient Greece was the cargo ship. These ships were
used to transport imports and exports. Sailing was more technically difficult
than rowing since you had to learn about the wind and how to adjust your sail to
meet the wind. These ships travelled at an average speed of 5 knots. In order to
sail in contrary winds the cargo ships would sail in a zigzag pattern.
Model
of greek cargo ship
Navigation
Understanding
navigation was very important to a sailor's survival. Steering, sails, and
anchors all were very important to a ship's safe arrival. The sails depended on
the strength of the mast. If the mast wasn't strong then adjustments couldn't be
made. The sail was raised and lowered according to the wind. When the wind was
light the sail was fully extended. When the wind became gusty and strong the
sail would be lowered. Anchors became very important. It meant survival or total
loss while at shore. In early Greek times a plain stone was used to hold
the boat in place.
