Anatomy of an oceangoing ship

what was the earliest variety of ship that would’ve been able to reliably make a transatlantic voyage? What are the most basic components that are required for such a vessel?
 
I mean some luck can be involved, we’re going barebones here, but yeah if you can get there you should have a reasonable expectation of being able to return
 
What route are you wanting to use? Northern island hopping, Faroes/Orkneys/Norway to Iceland, to Greenland, To Labrador/Newfoundland. Or a more southern route that is more non stop?
 
Sure, by that brings us to the second part of the question
For another culture to replicate said abilities, what are the basic components needed
 
The Carthaginian ships Hanno the Navigator used in his voyage down the African coast to either Gabon or Cameroon might have been able to cross the Atlantic, they sailed in its' waters for several thousand miles though I don't know whether they ever sailed out of the sight of land.
 
what was the earliest variety of ship that would’ve been able to reliably make a transatlantic voyage? What are the most basic components that are required for such a vessel?
Realistically there is not much that a ship needs to be capable of a transatlantic voyage in terms of vessel design. You want a ship with decent buoyancy, sturdy construction, it needs to be stable and handle well in rough seas, while also carrying enough supplies for several months worth of sailing. Really a fairly minimal ship could accomplish it, take for instance the simple rafts of the various peoples of the Pacific islands. Even some Roman and Greek ships fit this bill quite well (I'm not talking the galleys. Rather the larger grainships could likely do it, as could I imagine Chinese vessels from the same period.

An issue the Roman ships would have would be in their rigging and sterring. At the time sails were rather simple and could not take advantage of anything other than a wind directly aft of the vessel. Meaning she would struggle in the Atlantic. Her steering oars would also pose an issue. While they worked fine for a smaller ship the technology was reaching its limits by the time these craft rolled around. Making the ships likely handle very poorly in anything other than ideal circumstances. But I think one would be able to do it. I would need to do some research but I am fairly certain a Chinese vessel from the period would be capable of such a voyage.

The real issue you would run into here would be the limitations of charts and navigation in general. Up until the late fifteenth or even early sixteenth centuries navigation was much more an art than a science. Something to be learned from doing rather than taught in a classroom. Charts were difficult to come by and could be wildly inaccurate. While wind direction and speed, currents and local weather conditions were seldom written down. Instead the information was hoarded by the experienced navigators for their own use. Navigational equipment was also a major limitation. Even if your charts are incredibly accurate finding your location, direction and speed are vital. And up until likely the fifteenth century this was difficult.

Assuming however that you can overcome these issues a terribly sturdy ship is not necessary. A well built ship, experienced crew with a good idea of where they are and where they are going could do it. I know you were asking about a ship. But really it boils down to a few factors. Really all the problems I mentioned. Design of the ship, handling, navigation. Would not be solved completely and integrated into vessel design and practice until the fifteenth century.
 
Viking.0.0.jpg
 
What counts as 'reliable'? The Vikings could do it, under certain climatological conditions and with a little luck.
Theirs was far more "transarctic" than "transatlantic". They didn't have to go the same distances as the Spaniards did. The Arctic ocean, if we're allowed to separate it from the Atlantic, is smaller, and I don't think the very cold climate is an argument to make both feats comparable.

The very first true ocean-going ships are definitely those of the Polynesians. Traversing the Pacific ocean, and even reaching the Americas, is a feat that is even superior that of the Spaniards. Even if they didn't reach the Americas, travelling to and settling the various Polynesian islands (including Melanesia and Micronesia) of the Pacific ocean, the biggest of the planet, is still the superior naval feat and means that a Polynesian ship should be have been able to cross the Atlantic, whether from America or from Europe.
 
The very first true ocean-going ships are definitely those of the Polynesians. Traversing the Pacific ocean, and even reaching the Americas, is a feat that is even superior that of the Spaniards. Even if they didn't reach the Americas, travelling to and settling the various Polynesian islands (including Melanesia and Micronesia) of the Pacific ocean, the biggest of the planet, is still the superior naval feat and means that a Polynesian ship should be have been able to cross the Atlantic, whether from America or from Europe.
The Polynesian voyages were impressive feats and are very relevant for this thread. The Spanish did cross the Pacific many times, though.
 
Is the goal just to get there, or do you want to actually take anything along? Or back? AIUI, the Polynesian canoes were seaworthy, but not heavy on payload.
 
Is the goal just to get there, or do you want to actually take anything along? Or back? AIUI, the Polynesian canoes were seaworthy, but not heavy on payload.
Also seaworthy can be a vague term. Against a big storm one of their ships would fall apart. And the Atlantic isnt exactly a picnic to sail through.
 

SwampTiger

Banned
If my memory serves, Hanno and the earlier Phoenicians used primarily galleys in the African voyages. Despite this, both voyages had access to adequate technology to accomplish the feat. The knowledge of Atlantic winds and currents was their limiting factor. Steering oars were adequate for the job. Note the Polynesians, the Arab and Indian sailors of the Indian Ocean, and the Vikings used steering oars successfully. I doubt the Roman grain ships would be able to handle very rough weather successfully. They were essentially sailed barges, whose seaworthiness was adequate for the Mediterranean. The Parisi and Britonic ships which faced Julius Caesar were certainly adequate for the job.

The major issue with early trans-Atlantic voyages is any reason to attempt a westward voyage. Should the Britons , Carthaginians or Romans develop regular seafaring lines out of sight of land in the Atlantic, I could see one of these groups having ships driven out to sea by storms. You may see an early Henry the Navigator sponsor exploration westward out to sea. Fishermen may learn of the the various small islands far out at sea.
 
If my memory serves, Hanno and the earlier Phoenicians used primarily galleys in the African voyages. Despite this, both voyages had access to adequate technology to accomplish the feat. The knowledge of Atlantic winds and currents was their limiting factor. Steering oars were adequate for the job. Note the Polynesians, the Arab and Indian sailors of the Indian Ocean, and the Vikings used steering oars successfully. I doubt the Roman grain ships would be able to handle very rough weather successfully. They were essentially sailed barges, whose seaworthiness was adequate for the Mediterranean. The Parisi and Britonic ships which faced Julius Caesar were certainly adequate for the job.

The major issue with early trans-Atlantic voyages is any reason to attempt a westward voyage. Should the Britons , Carthaginians or Romans develop regular seafaring lines out of sight of land in the Atlantic, I could see one of these groups having ships driven out to sea by storms. You may see an early Henry the Navigator sponsor exploration westward out to sea. Fishermen may learn of the the various small islands far out at sea.
They only sailed close to the coast, which is not ocean-going.
 

SwampTiger

Banned
They only sailed close to the coast, which is not ocean-going.

No, several sailing lanes crossed the Mediterranean. The Egyptian grain ships crossed from south to north. They didn't circumnavigate the Med. Ships direct sailed across the Med from various ports. Few of these voyages were over two or three days. The size of cargo was similar or larger during the Roman period to Middle Age ships. The desire to remain close to coasts was due to the navigational technology of the time and, more importantly, the economy in replenishing fresh water daily over carrying large amounts of water. The circum-African and Hanno's voyages used galleys primarily for their maneuverability in unknown seas. Galleys require larger crews than sailing ships. Romans and Greeks utilized hybrid rowing/sailing ships which could travel with smaller crews at the loss of maneuver in adverse winds. The Portuguese and Spanish used caravels with fore-and-aft sails (lateen), but included sweeps for calms and inshore work. The maneuvarability of square sails is also underestimated by most folks.
 
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