A new survey of Nelson's flagship, the HMS Victory, shows that the ship is in poor shape. The problems are that the dry dock is warping the timbers and it has significant rot from rainwater. See here for more details.
None of this surprises me.
We went through the Victory last May. At the time I was surprised at how spartan the dry dock supports were. Ships are built to float. This puts an even pressure against the entire hull. A ship that spends any significant time in dry dock will not be supported evenly and will warp. In this case, the ends of some of the beams are now 10 centimeters (about the length of a cigarette) from touching the hull. During the last restoration the knees were only attached to the inside layer of the hull. (This ship has planking on both the inside and the outside of its timbers.)
I remember a talk during the preservation of the USS Constellation. The hull was hogging (drooping at the ends) and they were combating that by stacking pallets in the center and running cables to straps around the ends. This put more pressure on the center and held up the ends. Someone asked why they didn't just put it in dry dock. The answer was that if it went into dry dock for any significant length of time it would never float again.
I had this problem in miniature with my Whitehall boat. The trailer I had used rollers to support the boat and these were leaving marks in the hull. I replaced it with a bunker trailer.
The problem with rainwater is universal. The Santa Maria has leaked for 20 years. Re-caulking stops the leaks for a few day or week then the seams open up again. I have asked around and most other ships have the same problem. The Mayflower II had to make serious repairs in the 1990s. The metal fasteners that fastened the outside hull to the timbers had rusted away leaving holes. Rainwater got into the holes and rotted the timbers. They had to remove a lot of the hull in order to get to the timbers to replace them. It was a major project that took a couple of years and disrupted their first-person interpretation program.
It is amazing the the Victory has survived as long as it has. It was begun 1759 and launched in 1765. She spent 13 years in storage and was eventually ordered to be converted to a hospital ship. After the loss of the HMS Impregnable in 1799, it was decided to refit the Victory. There were already many problems and the refit took four years. She was finished in 1803 and served as Nelson's flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. She ended active service in 1812 but was used as a signal ship and barracks until 1904. After that she was mainly a tourist attraction.
By 1922 the Victory was in poor condition and needed a major restoration. This is when she was moved to her current location in Dry Dock no. 2 in Portsmouth - the oldest dry dock in the world. The latest restoration was in 2005 for the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. At that time she was made to look as much as possible like she did in Nelson's time.
(most of this history was condensed from Wikipedia)
Note - while the HMS Victory is the world's oldest commissioned warship, the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
WikiLeaks
Who would expect WikiLeaks to come up in a pirate blog?
It turns out that some of the leaked diplomatic cables are about recovered (possibly) Spanish gold. Spain is claiming 15 tons of treasure recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration. Odyssey says that the treasure came from Merchant Royal, a British ship that sunk in bad weather in 1641. Spain says that it came from the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, a Spanish navy frigate that was sunk by a British warship in 1804 during the Battle of Cape Saint Mary. the US government filed a brief supporting Spain.
Odyssey is suing the US government based on a leaked cable. This cable gave the impression that the US supported the Spanish claim in exchange for Spain's help in recovering a $20-million Pissarro painting claimed by a U.S. family that says it was unfairly obtained by the Nazis in Germany.
It turns out that some of the leaked diplomatic cables are about recovered (possibly) Spanish gold. Spain is claiming 15 tons of treasure recovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration. Odyssey says that the treasure came from Merchant Royal, a British ship that sunk in bad weather in 1641. Spain says that it came from the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, a Spanish navy frigate that was sunk by a British warship in 1804 during the Battle of Cape Saint Mary. the US government filed a brief supporting Spain.
Odyssey is suing the US government based on a leaked cable. This cable gave the impression that the US supported the Spanish claim in exchange for Spain's help in recovering a $20-million Pissarro painting claimed by a U.S. family that says it was unfairly obtained by the Nazis in Germany.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Pirates 4 - Rumors and Speculation
The first real trailer is out for Pirates of the Caribbean 4. I am going to make some guesses about the movie based on this and rumors. This may contain spoilers (depending on good my guesses are).
The only members of the original cast are Jack, Barbossa, and Gibbs.
Barbosa has a peg leg.
There is a video on how the Black Pearl was rebuilt to be the Queen Anne's Revenge. The first production stills leaked are of Jack, Barbosa, and others surveying a wrecked ship. I'm going to guess that this was the Black Pearl. This may also be how Barbossa ended up with a peg leg.
The trailer shows Jack in London. Some of this looks like Greenwich. In fact, some of the buildings also show up in Jack Black's Gulliver. Johnny Depp showed up at a school class in Greenwich near the end of filming. The school is only a few blocks from these buildings.
You can also see the Banqueting Hall at Whitehall. This was built by James I and the site of Charles I's execution.
Blackbeard was supposed to be an Englishman but in the trailer he seems to have a Spanish accent. That might be to match his daughter, played by Penelope Cruz who is from Spain.
Penelope Cruz was pregnant during filming. Rumor is that her sister acted as her body double.
I read On Stranger Tides when it came out. It follows a puppeteer whose ship is taken and ends up falling in with a group of pirates on the Florida coast. I don't see much room for Jack Sparow so I'm assuming that they threw pretty much the plot from the book out the window. I expect the main thing they kept was Blackbeard finding the Fountain of Youth and using it to gain immortality and power. The fountain was a fountain of energy instead of water. The Blackbeard in the book did not have a daughter nor did the historic Blackbeard.
The only members of the original cast are Jack, Barbossa, and Gibbs.
Barbosa has a peg leg.
There is a video on how the Black Pearl was rebuilt to be the Queen Anne's Revenge. The first production stills leaked are of Jack, Barbosa, and others surveying a wrecked ship. I'm going to guess that this was the Black Pearl. This may also be how Barbossa ended up with a peg leg.
The trailer shows Jack in London. Some of this looks like Greenwich. In fact, some of the buildings also show up in Jack Black's Gulliver. Johnny Depp showed up at a school class in Greenwich near the end of filming. The school is only a few blocks from these buildings.
You can also see the Banqueting Hall at Whitehall. This was built by James I and the site of Charles I's execution.
Blackbeard was supposed to be an Englishman but in the trailer he seems to have a Spanish accent. That might be to match his daughter, played by Penelope Cruz who is from Spain.
Penelope Cruz was pregnant during filming. Rumor is that her sister acted as her body double.
I read On Stranger Tides when it came out. It follows a puppeteer whose ship is taken and ends up falling in with a group of pirates on the Florida coast. I don't see much room for Jack Sparow so I'm assuming that they threw pretty much the plot from the book out the window. I expect the main thing they kept was Blackbeard finding the Fountain of Youth and using it to gain immortality and power. The fountain was a fountain of energy instead of water. The Blackbeard in the book did not have a daughter nor did the historic Blackbeard.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Pirate Latitudes
I finally got around to reading Pirate Latitudes, the unpublished book found on Michael Crichton's computer.
This was probably an early draft so it is difficult to be too hard on it. On the other hand, it has been published as a finished novel.
I'm betting that Crichton was inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and decided to write his own pirate novel, one that could be turned into a movie.
It's ok as a novel but it is not up to Crichton's standards. When I read a Crichton novel I expect it to grab my attention. This one does not. The first chapter appears to be an attempt to show off all of his research. It covers everything that the royal governor goes through on rising and preparing for the day. It takes a few chapters before we meet the main characters. First Crichton introduces the background.
Technically this is not a pirate novel, it is a privateer novel. It takes place in 1665 during the Golden Age of Privateering when Charles II was on the throne and it is a poor fit. This was the period when Morgan could raise hundreds of men - enough to attack and sack cities but this only has one small ship and crew.
The main character is Captain Hunter and only a half dozen of his crew is named. The plot can best be described as "one damned thing after another" as Hunter and crew meet and overcome every conceivable obstacle. Most of these are quickly dispatched which is why they have to meet so many different challenges. Possibly Crichton would have fleshed out some of these and eliminated others in later drafts.
John Drake's Flint and Silver books are much better but Crichton's will do if you want to read a light pirate novel and it is much easier to find.
This was probably an early draft so it is difficult to be too hard on it. On the other hand, it has been published as a finished novel.
I'm betting that Crichton was inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and decided to write his own pirate novel, one that could be turned into a movie.
It's ok as a novel but it is not up to Crichton's standards. When I read a Crichton novel I expect it to grab my attention. This one does not. The first chapter appears to be an attempt to show off all of his research. It covers everything that the royal governor goes through on rising and preparing for the day. It takes a few chapters before we meet the main characters. First Crichton introduces the background.
Technically this is not a pirate novel, it is a privateer novel. It takes place in 1665 during the Golden Age of Privateering when Charles II was on the throne and it is a poor fit. This was the period when Morgan could raise hundreds of men - enough to attack and sack cities but this only has one small ship and crew.
The main character is Captain Hunter and only a half dozen of his crew is named. The plot can best be described as "one damned thing after another" as Hunter and crew meet and overcome every conceivable obstacle. Most of these are quickly dispatched which is why they have to meet so many different challenges. Possibly Crichton would have fleshed out some of these and eliminated others in later drafts.
John Drake's Flint and Silver books are much better but Crichton's will do if you want to read a light pirate novel and it is much easier to find.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
More Pirates for Richards
Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards is returning to the big screen by reprising his role opposite Johnny Depp in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Depp has long credited the guitarist with inspiring his popular character Captain Jack Sparrow in the swashbuckling franchise, and Richards joined the cast to play the actor's on-screen father in the third installment of the movie series, At World's End, in 2007.
The musician will now return as Captain Teague in the forthcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is currently filming in London, according to Reuters.
The movie is set for release next year.
Depp has long credited the guitarist with inspiring his popular character Captain Jack Sparrow in the swashbuckling franchise, and Richards joined the cast to play the actor's on-screen father in the third installment of the movie series, At World's End, in 2007.
The musician will now return as Captain Teague in the forthcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is currently filming in London, according to Reuters.
The movie is set for release next year.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Edge or Flat?
While giving a talk on pirate weapons, someone volunteered that parries were always done with the flat of the sword instead of with the edge. This probably came from Mythbusters. They had a segment on trying to cut through one sword with another and they stated that parries were always done with the flat. You can see the segment here. Around 4:30 in they say, "In real life you never block an edge with an edge."
They in turn, probably got it from ARMA (the Association of Renaissance Martial Arts). You can read their essay on the subject here.
The thing is, they are specifically talking about 15th century and earlier techniques. The essay makes this clear in the first two paragraphs.
Not only is the edge shown facing the opposing blade but the wrist is straight.
So, combat styles changed between the 15th and the 17th centuries. This should not come as a surprise. Everything else changed. The 15th century swords were big heavy bars of iron. They were used two-handed, often against an armored enemy. By the 17th century, guns made armor too heavy to wear. Swords got lighter and the steel they were made from got better.
What about marks on surviving swords? A few points here. I have done edge on edge combat with real swords as well as schlager blades which are close to real weight. A tempered steel blade does not show much damage. Blades that have not been tempered do show significant notching. Those are the ones that would not have survived. Remember that only a fraction of swords have survived, mainly dress swords that never got near actual combat.
Even when an edge is notched, it isn't that hard to fix. I have had to take notches out of my pruning shears. You can get rid of most of the damage quickly with a hammer and anvil.
A final note - the Mythbusters declared it a myth that you can cut one sword with another. They did it several times but they disqualified these because the sword broke instead of being cut. I'm not sure I agree with their assessment. If I hit someone's sword and it separates into two pieces, I don't really care if I cut it or broke it.
They in turn, probably got it from ARMA (the Association of Renaissance Martial Arts). You can read their essay on the subject here.
The thing is, they are specifically talking about 15th century and earlier techniques. The essay makes this clear in the first two paragraphs.
Many historical fencing enthusiasts do not grasp the concepts of parrying against cuts with cutting swords as described in numerous Medieval and Renaissance fighting manuals. These texts teach the concept of defending by counter-striking or by receiving blows on the flat portion of the blade. As will become clear, edge-on-edge parrying was not taught as doctrine. In fact, defense, or warding of cutting blows, is described in many ways in 15th century fencing texts by many masters and never as a direct resistant block of deliberate opposition of sharp edge on sharp edge (so common in stage-combat and sport fencing and derived from 18th and 19th century methods of swordplay).
There is a tremendous, if not outright complete, lack of any support for doing so that can be found within any of the source literature (at least prior to the 17th century).Since the GAoP starts in the last quarter of the 17th century, it is clearly outside of ARMA's essay. Fencing manuals from the early 17th century clearly show edge on edge parries. Here are some (rather explicit) examples.
Not only is the edge shown facing the opposing blade but the wrist is straight.
So, combat styles changed between the 15th and the 17th centuries. This should not come as a surprise. Everything else changed. The 15th century swords were big heavy bars of iron. They were used two-handed, often against an armored enemy. By the 17th century, guns made armor too heavy to wear. Swords got lighter and the steel they were made from got better.
What about marks on surviving swords? A few points here. I have done edge on edge combat with real swords as well as schlager blades which are close to real weight. A tempered steel blade does not show much damage. Blades that have not been tempered do show significant notching. Those are the ones that would not have survived. Remember that only a fraction of swords have survived, mainly dress swords that never got near actual combat.
Even when an edge is notched, it isn't that hard to fix. I have had to take notches out of my pruning shears. You can get rid of most of the damage quickly with a hammer and anvil.
A final note - the Mythbusters declared it a myth that you can cut one sword with another. They did it several times but they disqualified these because the sword broke instead of being cut. I'm not sure I agree with their assessment. If I hit someone's sword and it separates into two pieces, I don't really care if I cut it or broke it.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A Short Entry on Slops
I have held for some time that pirates and sailors in general did not wear breeches under their slops. While some people insist that slops were worn as an over garment, I have yet to see an example. On the other hand, here is yet one more period picture showing a sailor in his slops with no trace of breeches underneath.
This one is "The Sea Cook" by Thomas Rowlandson, done in 1780. Note the wooden leg. When a sailor lost a limb he was often retained as a ship's cook. In Treasure Island, Long John Silver is signed on as the cook for the voyage.
This one is "The Sea Cook" by Thomas Rowlandson, done in 1780. Note the wooden leg. When a sailor lost a limb he was often retained as a ship's cook. In Treasure Island, Long John Silver is signed on as the cook for the voyage.
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