Ships.

During this period the Thana coast was famous for its ship-building. Between 1550 and 1600 great ships built at Agashi and Bassein made many voyages to Europe, [Do Couto, IV. 99. Pyrard, French Edition. II. 114. No place had better timber than Bassein, Ditto, 115,] and, in 1634, the English had four pinnaces built for the coast trade, two at Daman and two at Bassein. [Bruee's Annals, I, 334.] The Portuguese historian Gaspar Correa gives a fuller description than any previous writer of the craft which were built at this time in the Konkan ports. The local boats in ordinary use were of two kinds, one which had the planking joined and sewn together with coir thread, the other whose planks were fastened with thin nails with broad heads which were rivetted inside with other broad heads fitted on. The ships sewn with coir had keels, those fastened with nails were fiat-bottomed; in other respects they were alike. The planks of the ship-sides went as high as the cargo, and above the planks were cloths thicker than bed-sacking and pitched with bitumen mixed with fish and-cocoanut oil. Above the cloths were cane mats of he length of the ship, woven and very strong, a defence against the sea which let no water pass through. Inside, instead of decks, were chambers for the cargo covered with dried and woven palm-leaves, forming a shelving roof off which the rain ran and left the goods dry and unhurt. Above the palm-leaves cane mats, were stretched, and on these the seamen walked without doing any harm. The crew were lodged above; no one had quarters below where the merchandise was stored. There was one large mast and two ropes on the sides, and one rope at the prow like a stay, and two halliards Which came down to the stern and helped to hold the mast. The yard had two-thirds of its length abaft and one-third before the mast, and the sail Avas longer abaft than forward by one-third. They had only a single sheet, and the tack of the sail at the bow was made fast to the end of a sprit, almost as large as the mast with which they brought the sail very forward, so that they steered very close to the wind and set the sails very flat. They had no top-masts and no more than one large sail. The rudder, which was very large and of thin planks, was moved by ropes which ran along the outside of the ship. The anchors were of hard wood, and they fastened stones to the shanks so that they went to the bottom. They carried their drinking water in square and high tanks.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

SHIPS OF BOMBAY COAST -1600 A.D.[Vasco da Gama's Three Voyages, 239-242. A full account of the Portuguese shipping about 1600 is given in Pyrard, II. 118.]

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