Venetian Carrack or Cocha by woodrat - FINISHED - 1/64

[Louie da fly]

Hi Dick!

 

I just discovered a website dealing with the excavation of the wreck of the Lomellina, a large Genoese ship with 300 men aboard, which sank in Villefranche harbour in 1516. Some interesting stuff there, including the capstan, rudder, port lids etc. It's at http://archeonavale.org/lomellina/an/l_6a.html and there's more at http://www.culture.gouv.fr/fr/archeosm/archeosom/en/lomel-s.htm It seems to me that quite a bit of this information could be relevant to your build.

 

Best wishes,

 

Steven

Edited November 11, 2014 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

Thanks, Steven. An interesting project. I will try to chase some of the publications down. Some of the illustrations of the Lomellina will be useful. I had already decided that a windlass is required in the forecastle and it is good to know they were fitted to these big naves.

Dick

[woodrat]

Here is the completed halfdeck. Note the position of the mizzen mast

 

Dick

 

 

Edited December 26, 2017 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Looking really good, Dick. You're doing a wonderful job with this build.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

Thanks, Steven. Here are some pics showing the halfdeck and waist with deck knees Which are seen on the Villefranche Nave and the Mary Rose. A start is made on the poop deck.

Dick

 

 

Edited December 26, 2017 by woodrat

[woodrat]

The gentlemans seats of ease in the poop!!

 

The poop decking completed

 

 

 

The supports for the sterncastle are started

Dick

 

 

[woodrat]

I have puzzled over what this structure (arrowed) could represent. I now think it is a crane for lifting objects such as buckets to the sterncastle.

 

Dick

 

 

Edited December 26, 2017 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Could be, but the upright is on a bit of an angle to vertical, which I don't usually expect to see on bitts. But I can't think of anything else it could be - it certainly seems the likeliest possibility.

[Louie da fly]

Dick,

 

I just came across some pictures from the so-called "Hastings Manuscript". There has been some disagreement about the dating. The latest theory is that the picture of the single ship is from about 1450, while the one with multiple ships is from 1520-1530. Not sure I agree, but a picture of a carrack casting the lead is instructive, if nothing else, and you might find some useful details there. 

 

For instance, the boats in the second picture are double ended and are using a steering oar, not a rudder - something I've seen also in the Anthony Roll's depictions of Henry VIII's ships and The Embarkation at Dover, both from 1545. Interesting that this kind of boat was in use this late, so probably appropriate also to your own ship.

 

Steven

Edited December 5, 2014 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

 

 the boats in the second picture are double ended and are using a steering oar, not a rudder -

 

 

 

Yes, this detail from the arrival of St. Ursula at Cologne by Carpaccio clearly shows a steering oar AND a transom. I think that is a sheepskin over the stempost.

 

[woodrat]

The following pics show tghe substantial completion of the sterncastle.

 

 

I believe the sides of the castle would have contained removable blinds. These would have been removed to reduce windage and would have provided protection for archers if attacked

 

 

 

 

Dick

[JPZ66]

I have just caught up with your log of this build......Great work !

 

Joe

Edited December 14, 2014 by JPZ66

[Louie da fly]

I just came across another carrack picture. This is from Botticelli's 1485 painting of the Judgment of Paris, and shows a carrack being careened - she's leaning over with her deck toward the viewer, so you get a view that is almost directly from above - the ships overall shap is very clear, and you can see the deck fittings. I believe Botticelli to be one of the more trustworthy artists, so I'd be willing to take his painting as being pretty much spot-on.

 

But what's that wooden thing in the foreground? And how do you get to the poop deck and the forecastle?

Edited December 17, 2014 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

Thanks, Joe from Vegas.

 

Steven, the thing in the foreground is, I believe, a windlass which has been used to pull the ship onto its side for careening via a cable to the mainmast. Please see below for my suggestions as to the function of its parts. Access to the forecastle is by walking up the clinker planks of the great arch. The poop is accessed by ladders. Note the tranverse orientation of the planking in the poop deck which I have also done in the model. Note also the apparently offset deck capstan. This is one of the few illustrations showing deck detail.

 

Dick

Edited December 25, 2014 by woodrat

[Louie da fly]

This is one of the few illustrations showing deck detail.

 

Yes, that's the beauty of it. This information seems to be as rare as hen's teeth.

 

Oh, and here's another carrack from a 1482 chart by Grazioso Benincasa. Might have some useful details.

 

 

Steven

Edited December 17, 2014 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

A lovely little picture with a wealth of detail, Steven. Note how the mainyard has been lowered to allow the mainsail to belly out in a fashion never seen in the eighteenth century. They liked their sails "full-bosomed", as it were, in the fifteenth century!

 

As seen below

 

Here is a further pic from same showing an interesting bustle in the waist where the mainsail is undergoing a "harbour-furl" with the yard fully lowered. Look how long the yard is!

 

Merry Xmas from the Woodrat

[Louie da fly]

Very nice pics, Dick. I'd found copies of that picture on the Net, but not in anything like so much detail. You can even see the boarding nettings in the tops!

 

And a very merry Christmas to you and yours as well.

 

Steven

Edited December 19, 2014 by Louie da fly

[woodrat]

This is my interpretation of the fifteenth century Botticelli windlass after due pondering. The windlass would be used to tilt the ship by hauling on the mainmast so as to allow cleaning of the hull and replacement of sacrificial planking. The windlass would have to be able to be moved from place to place and to be held with pegs to the ground. The pawl mechanism would have to be VERY reliable and the cables in good repair. Sudden loss of the tension on the mainmast would be catastrophic!

 

Dick

Edited December 24, 2014 by woodrat

[woodrat]

Carrick bitts are installed to hold the anchor windlass.

 

 

 

 

Dick

 

 

[Cristiano]

Hello Dick,

Have you heard of this book?

it seems it fit perfectly with the historical period of the ship that you are building.

"Sveti Pavao Shipwreck: A 16th century Venetian Merchantman from Mljet, Croatia"

below the link of the book

http://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/sveti-pavao-shipwreck.html

 

 

 

[woodrat]

Thanks, Christiano. I had heard of this project but have not yet ordered the book as it is quite expensive. Maybe I will get an electronic copy. The wreck is possibly a century later than the Trombetta nave but many details would have remained similar.

Dick

Edited December 27, 2014 by woodrat

[woodrat]

The completion of the windlass.

 

 

 

 

 

Ricardo

 

 

Edited December 28, 2014 by woodrat

[woodrat]

Due to some shed time over the xmas break, I have been able to make a good start on the forecastle.

 

This is the forecastle base.

 

 

 

 

 

[Vivian Galad]

Great updates! The windlass is really terrific.

[NenadM]

This will be a very nice model

[Louie da fly]

DAMN that's good! And there it is, the foremast stepped on the stempost. Seems so wrong, but that's what they did, all right. Your usual excellent standard, Dick. I love the deck fittings.

 

Steven

[woodrat]

Thank you Vivian, Nenad and Steven and Happy New Year. Here are more progress pics of the forecastle. The forecastle may seem narrow but I have followed the original drawing faithfully. This allows a lot of tumblehome for the clinker planking below the forecastle, improves water shedding and looks better. I am sure there was a lot of variation among shipwrights as to forecastle design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dick

Edited December 30, 2014 by woodrat

[woodrat]

Forecastle framing complete. Now to do the clinker planking below the castle. I will need further framing to support the "Great Arch"

 

 

 

 

Dick

Edited January 2, 2015 by woodrat

[woodrat]

Further strengthening of the great arch and castle was required with vertical and horizontal knees and cross-bracing. I think it is strong enough now.

Dick

 

 

 

 

 

 

[woodrat]

The castle planked showing foremast and bowsprit partners.

 

 

The gaps in the planking  allow passage of the mainstay ropes which pass around the knee of the stem

 

Edited February 28, 2015 by woodrat