Caraque

See also: Nave (homonymy), Caraque (homonymy)

The caraque or nave is a large ship, end of the Moyen-âge, characterized by its hull round and its two tops castles before and back. It was one of the first types of European ships to being able to venture in open sea. The Spanish called it nao (ship) and the Portuguese nau , it was with the caravel, the ship of the large explorers of these countries. According to certain sources, the caraque word would come from Arabic karraka .

Origin and evolution

It derives from the Cogue S which were used for the trade and the war, in the North Sea and in the the Baltic, in particular in the fleets of the Hanse, since the 11th century approximately. At the time of the Crusade S (XIe and XIIe century), some cogues had to cross the the Mediterranean, and had to adapt by the contribution of traditional elements. They measured thirty meters length then, eight meters of width, carried two masts and a total of six veils. Naval construction of this area upset the architecture of the Cogue S, giving rise to the caraque one. One of the change most important, was the appearance of Mât S additional. One passed initially to two, then three and finally four masts, that postpones, says mizzen being gréé with a lateen sail, which was adapted to navigation in this tightened sea, where one was often obliged to go back to the wind. Cogue, it kept the square sails, very effective in back wind and a robust construction resulting from its distance ancestor the Drakkar Viking: a round hull, whose bordering was made with covering joint, i.e. the boards were recovered partially to be reinforced. The increase in the number of masts and thus in the surface of aerofoil, allowed an increase in the size, and one reaches at the end of the 14th century of the boats measuring for some, thousand barrels. Like the cogue, they were useful in a rather undifferentiated way, with the trade or for the war, for this last activity, they were thus equipped with two towers built out of wood directly on the bridge which made it possible like their terrestrial equivalent to overhang the adversary, giving the advantage height in particular to the Archer S. These turns quickly became increasingly high, to preserve this advantage, harming then largely the stability of the ship by weighing down it in the tops. This defect made that after the appearance of the Galion at the 16th century, which was much more handy, it specialized in transport and gave up the warlike activities gradually. It is however, on these ships which intervened the innovations which were going to revolutionize the war on sea, like the use of the artillery and the Sabord which is associated to him, and they represented a good part of the fleets of war of the 16th century, beyond the middle of the century. The built caraques last adopted bordering, known as with freeboard, where the boards were jointed, but reinforced interior by the Membrure S. the flute, more adapted for the wearing of load, ends up supplanting it for the trade at the 17th century.

Caraques famous

the Santa Maria of Christophe Colomb
the Mary Pink of Henri VIII
Cordelière of Anne of Brittany
the Great Michel Scottish

Well later, the imperial one of the Victoria queen

Nave

A nave is caraque. The nave term draws its origin from Latin navis who means ship. The Spaniards called it nao and the Portuguese nau. With the Middle Ages it was about unlarge and heavy vessel, rounded, has castle before and back, which allowed a large carrying of load.

References

BORDONOVE Georges, daily life of the templiers, Hatchet, 1990

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