Apr 9th, 2016: Trimeme

[xoxoxoBruce]

In the last few millennia BC, there were scattered humans around the world but civilization was around the Eastern Mediterranean.
This is confirmed by the steady progression of wars taking place there. And being on the seashore many of the battles were naval.
Oar power, rather than relying on capricious sea breezes, was the only way to guarantee success.
Of course every red blooded Captain wanted more power, grunt, snort, grunt.
So instead of a single bank of rowers on each side, two rows were better. Then being civilized nations, came three rows, then four.
It seems the three row Trimeme, was the best balance of weight to power, with speed, stability, and maneuverability.



Scholars curiosity about these ships had grown over the centuries as the ancient accounts of battles made some strong claims about
performance. But there was no plans or drawings, just text descriptions, some art showing the general look, and some knowledge
about how all ships were built at the time. So in the late 1980s under the umbrella of the Hellenic Navy, a group recreated a Trimeme.

Classical sources indicate that the trireme was capable of sustained speeds of ca. 6 knots at a relatively leisurely pace.
There is also a reference by Xenophon of a single day's voyage from Byzantium to Heraclea Pontica, which translates as
an average speed of 7.37 knots. These figures seem to be corroborated by the tests conducted with the reconstructed
Olympias: a maximum speed of 8 knots and a steady speed of 4 knots could be maintained, with half the crew resting
at a time. Given the imperfect nature of the reconstructed ship as well as the fact that it was manned by totally untrained
modern men and women, it is reasonable to suggest that ancient triremes, expertly built and navigated by trained men,
would attain higher speeds.
Crewed by 170 volunteer oarsmen, Olympias in 1988 achieved 9 knots (17 km/h or 10.5 mph). These results, achieved
with inexperienced crew, suggest that the ancient writers were not exaggerating about straight-line performance.
In addition, Olympias was able to execute a 180 degree turn in one minute and in an arc no wider than 2.5 ship-lengths.

There was much back slapping and congratulations until the word came down... the captain wants to water ski.
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[DanaC]

Trireme

[Griff]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Trireme

I wonder if they've found any wrecks that give them more to work with construction wise?

[mrputter]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Trireme

Hahaha. See, my first instinct was to give xoB the benefit of the doubt, and I was all like: “Wait. So Civilization has been lying to me all these years...?”

[xoxoxoBruce]

Hey, cut me some slack, I woke with a qwerty in my forehead to post that, you ingrates.
I was just testing to see if youse guys was payin' attention. Yeah, that's it, a test. That's my lie and I'm stickin' to it.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Griff

I wonder if they've found any wrecks that give them more to work with construction wise?

God damn it, I did a multi-paragraph reply, previewed, and didn't submit... again.

The ship pictured, Olympias...

It was constructed from 1985 to 1987 by a shipbuilder in Piraeus. The ship was built to drawings by the naval architect John F. Coates which he developed through long discussions with the historian J. S. Morrison following the longest correspondence on any subject in The Times of London in the early 1980s. The work was also advised by the classics teacher Charles Willink and drew on evidence gained from Greek literature, history of art and archaeology above and below water.

This made me laugh...

The important hypozomata (bracing ropes) had to be replaced by a steel rope because no natural fibre or synthetic fibre ropes with about the same elastic modulus as hemp could be obtained. The steel cables tension varied as the hull bent on the waves, rather than exerting constant tension like a natural fibre rope. This caused the alarming possibility of the rope breaking and endangering the crew, so protective measures had to be taken.

They couldn't find hemp???

Construction of the trireme differed from modern practice. The construction of a trireme was expensive and required around 6000 man-days of labor to complete. The ancient Mediterranean practice was to build the outer hull first, and the ribs afterwards. To secure and strengthen the hull, cables (hypozōmata) were employed, fitted in the keel and stretched by means of windlasses. Hence the triremes were often called "girded" when in commission.

The materials from which the trireme was constructed were an important aspect of its design. The three principal timbers included fir, pine, and cedar. Primarily the choice in timber depended on where the construction took place. For example, in Syria and Phoenicia, triereis were made of cedar because pine was not readily available. Pine is stronger and more resistant to decay, but it is heavy unlike fir which was used because it was lightweight. The frame and internal structure would consist of pine and fir for a compromise between durability and weight.

They had to keep them light so they would only draft about a meter, because they had to be hauled out every night where ever they were. A good light one could be carried out of the water by 140 men.
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They had no potty.

[monster]

Maybe it is a trimeme.

Maybe its name is Boaty McBoatface and it contains dead hobos and is really a shark?

[xoxoxoBruce]

No, no, no, Shippy McShipface.

[footfootfoot]

It was a simple typo, no need to reme him out.

[Griff]

Yeah, that attitude doesn't float here.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Like any civil servant, I'm use to the scorn and abuse from those who I labor so diligently to make their lives more civilized. Sigh.

[Undertoad]

You've got all your paddles in the water, Bruce, I don't think these guys are trying to make waves.

[lumberjim]

Well, I thought they were called TrireNes, so I was wrong too. I think that was from playing Age of Empires 15 years ago, so maybe I read it wrong on my little monitor, or they had it wrong in the game.

I figured there would be some kind of meme tie in. All your boat are belong to us

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ha ha ha, I knew the sad eyed kitten would do it. Not to worry I can handle the peanut gallery.

[monster]

Excuse me, but this gallery is a nut-free gallery (peanut and tree nut). Also, gluten and dairy free. All pillorying is brought to you from the tasteless gallery.