Ships can be said to be one of the earliest tools created by humans, and although the earliest ships found in archaeology are about 10,000 years old, the history of human shipbuilding may be much older.
From canoes of less than 3 meters to sea giants with a length of nearly 500 meters today, the history of shipbuilding has not only witnessed the progress of human industrial technology, but also accompanied the process of human beings moving from barbarism to civilization.
Today's invention story Let's talk about a brief history of human ships.
First, distant antiquity
The oldest ship found to be made in the Stone Age 10,000 years ago, when ships were built very small because there were no metal tools at the time, usually by using stone axes to chisel the canoes directly from the trunk.
Pace canoe, the oldest boat ever found, dates back about 10,000 years
By 5000 BC, the inhabitants of the Persian Gulf had begun to borrow the power of nature as a driving force for their boats, and they began to make sailboats.
After about 2000 years, the Austronesian peoples had mastered the true technology of ocean-going navigation, and they began to migrate south from Taiwan, reaching as far as what is now Madagascar.
At this time, the ancient Egyptian civilization in Africa also mastered advanced shipbuilding technology, and Egyptian merchants could reach all parts of the country by boat on the Nile to trade.
By 1500 BC, the Austronesians had improved the style of sails in sailing ships, from square to more efficient and simpler crab claw sails, while they also improved catamarans, developed more maneuverable outriggers, and with crab claw sails, began to cross the ocean, spreading advanced shipbuilding and sailing techniques to the world.
With the expansion of the scope of trade, in addition to the exchange of goods, it also brought war, and the Mediterranean coast at that time appeared on the Mediterranean coast specifically to survive by looting.
Sea peoples who like to plunder
Around 1175 BC, the Sea Peoples attacked ancient Egypt, taking place at the earliest recorded Battle of the Delta.
Battle of the Delta
Around 1000 BC, wars took place frequently along the Mediterranean coast, spawning a variety of warships, such as paddle schooners, two-tier paddle-seated warships, and three-tier paddle-seated warships.
The three-decker paddle-seated warships of the time became standard equipment for navies near the Mediterranean. At this time, the Austronesians in Asia also began to colonize the western Pacific and Madagascar, and connected China's trade with South Asia.
At this time, China's shipbuilding technology was also very advanced, and during the Qin Dynasty, it was possible to build sea vessels up to thirty meters long.
The shipbuilding technology of the Han Dynasty was more advanced, and in addition to the oars, there were anchors and rudders on the ships. Among them, the building ship is a famous ship type of the Han Dynasty, and its construction and development are also a sign of superb shipbuilding technology.
Building boats
Second, the Middle Ages
In the 3rd century AD, the Vikings invented the shipbuilding method of clinker construction, and the ships built by clinker were the hallmark of the navigation of northern Europe throughout the Middle Ages, especially the long ships of the Viking marauders, with shallow drafts, fast speed, and flexible steering, which was very suitable for raiding raids during expeditions to different places.
Viking longship
By the 6th century AD, the Vikings began to expand, and their colonies spread throughout Europe. The Vikings even crossed the Labrador Sea to North America more than five hundred years before Columbus discovered the New World.
In the 9th century, the Song Dynasty of China built the famous West River Lock, which is the prototype of the modern lock, which greatly broadens the scope of inland river transportation.
By this time, the footprints of the Austronesians had reached West Africa.
In the 10th century, Chinese first used compasses for navigation.
In the 13th century, Italy, Spain, and Portugal began to produce Portland charts based on maritime experience, which was the most detailed nautical chart produced at that time, providing the basis for the subsequent geographical discoveries.
A chart of the sea near the Mediterranean Sea, made in 1439
In Asia, the Austronesians at this time began to colonize New Zealand.
In 1405, Zheng He began large-scale ocean voyages, starting the world's largest voyage project at that time.
At this time, Chinese-made ships have begun to use watertight bulkheads, and the process uses mortise, iron nail reinforcement, and the method of filling the crease in the gap of the ship plate to ensure the firmness and watertightness of the ship.
Throughout the Middle Ages, most large ships were made of wood and powered by sails.
The main purpose of human shipbuilding was still colonization and trade, and along with compasses, nautical charts, and solid shipbuilding techniques, Europeans ushered in a chaotic and great age of great navigation, also known as the Great Discovery of Geography.
Third, the great geographical discovery
At the end of the 15th century, the large ships of Europe were mainly Clarke, Kirk and Galen, because the spices obtained from Venetian merchants were too expensive, and at that time, Spain, Portugal, Britain and other maritime powers rose up at sea adventures, intending to re-establish the spice trade.
Modern remake kirk boat
Portugal pioneered the Age of Discovery. With the great voyages of Columbus, Gamma and Magellan, the age of great navigation was inaugurated.
In 1513, the Portuguese first arrived in China from Europe.
In 1522, Magellan completed his first circumnavigation of the globe and across the Pacific Ocean.
In 1571, the Holy Alliance, led by Spain, fought the largest naval battle in the West since classical times, which was the last large-scale naval battle in history dominated by paddle schooners, and in the following decades, the importance of Galen galleons and battleline tactics in naval battles continued to rise, replacing the oared sailing ships as the main warships in naval warfare and opening the "age of sail".
By 1620, the Dutch engineer Drebel had built the first navigable submarine, which was still powered by pulp and could sail in water at depths of 4 to 5 meters.
Remastered version of the first submarine
In the mid-18th century, the nautical astronomical clock and sextant were successively applied, and human beings also achieved no casualties in circumnavigation of the world, which greatly encouraged the confidence of explorers.
In the late 18th century, europeans started the Industrial Revolution, the British built the first iron-hulled ships, and the French built the first steamships that could be used. Steam power began to enter the ocean voyage.
The 19th century was the period when ships were the fastest growing, modern propellers and more efficient steam turbines were invented, steam power was widely used, and gasoline engines began to power ships.
The type of ship was also gradually refined according to the use, with the appearance of ironclad ships, icebreakers, submarines powered by internal combustion engines, and ocean-going tankers, shipbuilding materials upgraded to iron and ironwood composites, and incandescent lamps also began to enter the interior of the hull.
The first ironclad ship
During the period of geographical discovery, with the opening of new shipping routes, the connection between Culture and Trade between the East and the West increased greatly, allowing Western civilization to expand to the whole world, and imperialism, colonialism and free trade also began to appear.
In addition to its positive significance, the Great Discovery is also a history of aggressive colonization full of bloody violence. Europe's colonial expansion and rapid development during this period laid the foundation for its prosperity over Asia.
Contradictions around the world are also intensifying.
4. Modern ships
At the beginning of the 20th century, Europeans basically completed the colonization of the world map, coupled with the second industrial revolution of electricity, steam engines, new materials and materials, especially the development of steelmaking technology, so that the cost of steel was reduced, providing an industrial basis for the construction of larger, stronger, and more powerful ships.
In 1906, the British battleship HMS Dreadnought was launched, ushering in the era of battleships, while a hydrofoil capable of making ships run faster was invented.
Battleship Dreadnought
In 1912, the Titanic, the world's largest luxury passenger ship at the time, sank, making it the most famous marine disaster in history.
The two world wars objectively promoted the development of ships, and the size of ships measured by tonnage became the standard.
More technologies such as gas turbine engines and diesel engines that can operate underwater are being applied to warships or submarines.
The first aircraft carrier appeared in 1918, and during World War II, the aircraft carrier became the hegemon of the sea.
In 1937, American destroyers began to be equipped with radar, marking the modernization of ships.
The 1944 Battle of the Philippines was the largest aircraft carrier battle in history, involving 24 aircraft carriers.
With the Third Industrial Revolution, more and more ways to power ships, coal-fired sailing ships were converted to diesel power, using oil instead of steam.
In 1955, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, was launched.
Nautilus
At the same time, trade between countries became more frequent after the war, and in 1956, the first container ship appeared.
In the mid-to-late 20th century, human beings also entered the age of exploration from the age of exploration.
Generally speaking, the age of exploration came to an end in the early 17th century. By then, European ships had been built well enough, and their navigators were competent enough to travel almost anywhere on earth.
In 1959, hovercraft, icebreakers, and submersibles appeared, allowing humans to explore areas that ordinary ships could not reach.
Nuclear-powered cargo ships have also been built and are capable of navigating for more than three years without refueling.
Since then, a variety of unique research vessels and detectors have been built, and countries around the world have accelerated their research on the oceans. More new technologies, new materials are used in the shipbuilding industry.
In the 21st century, the story of ships is not over, and now humans have been able to build ships with a length of nearly 500 meters.
The largest ship currently
In terms of materials, some larger boats are made of strong, lightweight metals such as aluminum, while smaller boats are usually made of lightweight composites such as fiberglass or super-strong plastics.
In terms of power, it is still dominated by oil, but humans are also trying to use renewable energy sources such as solar energy, batteries, etc. as energy sources.
From rafts, kayaks, canoes, to today's behemoths, modern boats are built with more advanced technologies and materials, and can be adapted to more activity scenarios.
The history of human shipbuilding is accompanied by the history of the development of human civilization.