S NAVAL SCIENCES. 



that account. In the time of the Apostles very long vessels were in use, 

 with two decks at the stern ; there was also a midship-deck, with a room 

 for offering sacrifices. At the end of the bowsprit, in the forward part of 

 the ship, was a short mast with a sail, behind which ran a small gallery, 

 from which the orders were given to the crew. The Greek ships were 

 adapted for sails as well as oars ; they were usually triremes, as in fig. 6, 

 although there were sail-vessels with one bank of oars {fig. 4). These 

 galliots were afterwards less curved, longer, and with two banks, of oars 



(fig- 5). 



The first ships were no doubt constructed without keel-beams, but these 

 were used at a later period. The ship's bottom was fastened to the beam 

 on both sides with strong planks ; this was the place for the ballast ; next 

 to this was the hold, which was divided off by the timber knees attached to 

 the keel. The oar benches were on each side, the oars passing through 

 openings in the ship ; above the oar-benches was a gallery for passengers. 

 The prow, the stern, and the sides were often richly ornamented with 

 carved work ; the stern was rounder than the prow, was built higher, and 

 was fitted up with an arched canopy, under which sat the steersman. The 

 steering-oar was at the stern ; the larger class of ships had two, which 

 passed out of a kind of square box at the sides, in which w^as a round hole. 

 Rudders similar to those now in use were not known until a later period. 

 The mainsail was attached to the mast ; a sail at the stern often served to 

 increase the speed, and a smaller one was sometimes raised at the prow ; 

 a topsail was in use at the time of the Apostles. If the vessel had more 

 than one mast, the mainmast was amidships. Besides the usual ships of war, 

 the Greeks had vessels for transporting horses, and others for reconnoitring, 

 whose breadth was only one ninth of their length ; these carried few men, 

 but were of great speed. There were boats of different sizes, which com- 

 municated between the vessels of a fleet. The largest Greek ship was that 

 which the city of Heraclea sent to the aid of King Ptolemy Ceraunos ; this 

 had 800 oars and 1,200 marines. 



d. The Romans. The Romans were confined for a long time to a rude 

 coasting navigation, which scarcely extended beyond the neighboring 

 island of Sicily ; even their first larger voyages were performed in hired 

 vessels, until after the first Punic war. At that time they suddenly resolved 

 to create a fleet of their own, and they accomplished this with incredible 

 rapidity : within two months they built a fleet of 120 vessels, with which 

 Caius Duilius risked an engagement, and came off victorious. This victory 

 was celebrated by the erection of a monumental column in the forum at Rome 

 {pi. 2, fig, 25), which was ornamented with the beaks of the conquered 

 vessels. Similar monuments succeeded this columna rostrata, which was 

 erected a. u. c. 494, although the Romans obtained no other victory so signal. 



The Roman ships must evidently have been built on the Greek and 

 Phoenician models. The merchantmen were mostly sailing vessels ; the ships 

 of war had both sails and oars : and we again meet with the Greek biremes, 

 triremes, and so forth. The largest and most usual men-of-war were quin- 

 queremes, but there were also light vessels with a bank on each side, which 

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