Naval Ships and Tech discussion (LONG)

[Scott Cohan]

sc>   Ok, that's nice, but my entire point was that triremes _cannot_
sc> make long open   sea voyages, because you can only fit two (2) days
sc> worth of food on them.   Admittedly, you can eliminate the lower two
sc> rows of rowers and use that space   for cargo, but then you are going

sa>Well they could use water from stone and the other spell for food.  Making it
sa>a magical voyage all around (G)  Thus no real need for the stores.

  Too bad that "Water from Stone", "Sustenance", and "Preservation" are all LAW
  spells and the Climans are Chaotic.

sa>Did you do a search on the InterNet for Roman Ships or the like?
  Yes, not much there but some lecture notes and the like.

  However, I did finally find a good reference work:

  "Cogs, Caravels and Galleons", part of Conway's History of the Ship.

  Contains useful things like the following:

  From recorded duration of known voyages in Mediterranean Round Ships:
  With prevailing wind: Average Speed = 2.53 knots (1.20 to 3.98)
  Against wind: Average Speed = 1.14 knots (1.06 to 1.24)

  This means, even sailing 24 hours/day at full speed, a trip of 560 miles would
  take 9 days with the wind and 20 days against it.

  Also, the round ship was used until it was surpassed by the cog in the 14th
  century, just the time period we need.

  I still have a lot of reading to do, but so far I think that I can use Genoese
  Crusader transports and Hanseatic cogs for most nations in the SoT, and use
  caravels and the Catalan nao for the more nautically advanced nations (Clima,
  Fomoria)

  Evidently, the Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum in Bremerhaven built a full size
  replica of a cog in 1991.  Perhaps our friends in Amsterdam have heard of
  this?  (Maybe not, but you're a lot closer than I am)

  Evidently, there are records of cogs being outfitted with small catapults and
  my personal favorite siege weapon, the springald.

  More details as I read farther, but so far, I feel comfortable changing the
  naval tech to this level (late 14th, early 15th century).  Keeps it equitable
  with the armor and weapon tech.

  Scott Cohan