[PnP] The Athenian Trireme

[Scott Adams]

At 10:13 PM 3/4/04 -0900, you wrote:
>For those folks interested in P&P sailing craft the 2nd edition of The
>Athenian Trireme is an excellent resource. I got it through interlibrary
>loan for a few more days. It is about the history and reconstruction of an
>ancient Greek Trireme and has some data on other concurrent ship designs.
>By Morrison, Coates and Rankov, it is published by Cambridge University
>Press.
>
>  Some data I've found:
>  Crew of 200 (172 of them oarsmen) was one of the main reasons it was so
>much more expensive than earlier ship designs. But it's speed and
>maneuverability (turns 3 degrees per second) meant it dominated the seas
>for hundreds of years until later designs with more than one person per
>oar were built.
>  Cruises at ~5 knots when rowed with a maximum of ~9 knots. Rowing into a
>stiff wind might be as slow as 1/2 knot. One long voyage in history must
>have averaged 9 knots...I expect that the wind was helpful on that
>occasion.
>Under sail it is safe and stable in winds up to 25 knots and can do 2 to
>10 knots depending upon the wind. Wind sufficient to move it faster would
>probably swamp it. A days voyage when rowed may be 60 sea miles (110 km).
>
>  A trireme could carry an additional extra 30 soldiers but the weight
>would reduce its speed and maneuverability.
>  Older triremes sometimes were converted into transports and troop
>carriers. After conversion they could carry 30 horses but would only have
>60 oarsmen..

Sounds nifty.  Maybe they have a online version for pdfing or something.
How old is the book?  Any data on ship layout?  Weapons?  Those are
probably critical things to me.   Maybe richard will note it for a new book :)

(hint hint)


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