Compass and rudders
The compass was probaly first made in China during the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.). Fortune tellers used lodestones for constructing their boards and earning their fortunes. Magnetite, or another word for iron ore, aligns itself to the poles. The Compass was created through floating the magnet, or centering it on a reed. Merchant ships were able to visit Saudi Arabia in the 12th century.
Adm. Zhen He made use of this to navigate made the discovery possible of Australia and America in 1411. Read the book on this great sailor!
The compass arrived in Europe around 1190. The sailors crossing the Mediteranean in those days had nothing else but the stars to navigate by at night when the coastal lights dissapeared behind teh horizon. For them it was a welcome device when navigation became difficult without stars to lead them. Church carvings in Europe showed the rudder for the first time around the same time.
At that time the size of ships and the height of the freeboards increased, oar type rudders had too steep an angle. The stern-rudder was invented around this time, or copied from the Chinese ship seen in Saudi Arabia. Dont forget that the Crusaders were in Jerusalem at that time (2nd crusade), until they were kicked out by Saladin's muslims in 1187. Also around 1200 gunpowder was introduced in Europe, probably from the Mongols.
Many important ingredients for naval warfare were now known to the Europeans. Some others were missing though: maps, money, focus on expansion.
Only in the 15th century became the real use of the compass known to the Europeans, probably when they got maps of the fantastic travails of Zhen He.
I like the story about that onions were thought to destroy magnetism! Captains didn't alow their crew to eat them.
Adm. Zhen He made use of this to navigate made the discovery possible of Australia and America in 1411. Read the book on this great sailor!
The compass arrived in Europe around 1190. The sailors crossing the Mediteranean in those days had nothing else but the stars to navigate by at night when the coastal lights dissapeared behind teh horizon. For them it was a welcome device when navigation became difficult without stars to lead them. Church carvings in Europe showed the rudder for the first time around the same time.
At that time the size of ships and the height of the freeboards increased, oar type rudders had too steep an angle. The stern-rudder was invented around this time, or copied from the Chinese ship seen in Saudi Arabia. Dont forget that the Crusaders were in Jerusalem at that time (2nd crusade), until they were kicked out by Saladin's muslims in 1187. Also around 1200 gunpowder was introduced in Europe, probably from the Mongols.
Many important ingredients for naval warfare were now known to the Europeans. Some others were missing though: maps, money, focus on expansion.
Only in the 15th century became the real use of the compass known to the Europeans, probably when they got maps of the fantastic travails of Zhen He.
I like the story about that onions were thought to destroy magnetism! Captains didn't alow their crew to eat them.
posted by frisian @ Sunday, October 02, 2005
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