The Story of Sailing

In an effort to command the mighty oceans and seas, human beings have built and developed sailing craft since ancient times. Here is a brief story of sailing for you.

• The earliest floating crafts were simply tree trunks or inflated animal skins. After early humans discovered tools, they carved canoes out of the tree trunks and barks. They were sometimes covered with animals’ skins. In ancient Egypt, people gathered papyrus reeds together to make boats. 
• Eventually larger ships, mostly propelled by sails or oars, were built. People began using ships extensively for trade and discover new lands. Trading ships relied on sail alone since there was no room for oarsmen.
• Piracy has existed as long as commercial ships have sailed the seas. During the first days of ancient Greece and Rome, pirates infested the Aegean and also the Mediterranean seas. Piracy’s “golden age” occurred from the 1500s to the 1800s, when a great number of ships travelled the Atlantic carrying valuable cargo. It declined greatly in the 1800s and 1900s.
• The invention of the steam engine led to a new revolution at sea. There had been several experiments with powered vessels within the eighteenth century. Henry Bell, a Scot, designed the primary sure-fire British boat in 1812. Within a number of years, steamboats plied protected waters throughout Europe. The Savannah was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1819, though it used its sail most of the way. In about 1840, screw propellers were developed which ended the use of sail.
• Since the 16th century, European countries started building large fleets of warships to assert their power and command over the seas. They were quicker and were designed to face up to harm. In 1588, the Revenge, Sir Francis Drake’s flagship, enabled the English to defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of England.
• Submarines, torpedoes, and mines are used for war at sea. Submarines have additionally been used since the seventeenth century for underwater exploration. The first practical submarine was built by John Phillip Holland in the 19th century. They were additionally utilized in giant numbers within the 2 World Wars.
• The Bismarck was the first of two battleships built by the Germans during world war II. It was one of the two largest battleships built by any European superpower at that time. On one of its first journeys, the Bismarck was intercepted, hunted down by the British, and attacked. By the time it was defeated, the pursuit of the Bismarck had covered about 1,700 miles across the North Atlantic.

The Story of Sailing

End of Articles.... Thanks...