Paul Greiman had recently been studying the ship atlas he had "borrowed" from the shipyard supervisor whenever he had free time.
He discovered that even the ships popular in the Southern Nations were oared sailing ships, similar to the galleys of the Mediterranean on Earth. They were narrow, long, low, and agile vessels that relied primarily on oars for propulsion. Although they were also equipped with sails, those sails were only used to conserve the rowers' strength during long voyages.
There was only one row of long oars on each side. The largest oars were more than ten meters long and weighed as much as 300 kilograms, so each oar was generally worked by three to eight people. Some large ships were often equipped with several hundred rowers.
The Southern Nations mostly used criminals and slaves as rowers. Large numbers of them were crammed into cramped spaces like sardines in a can.
When the ships sailed, the rowers desperately operated their "muscle engines" to the rhythm of the drums under the threat of leather whips.
There was a saying that described the life of a ship's rowers: "If Hell truly exists in this world, then Hell is on a galley. Here, no one knows what rest means."
The rowers spent their entire lives with the rowing benches, drifting on the sea and obeying every whistle and command. When things grew tense, they either fortified themselves with liquor or endured a thorough whipping.
"What a cruel and inhumane age! The old society was truly rotten."
Paul sighed with emotion while also congratulating himself on having been born into a decent family after crossing over.
These galleys had existed since the age of the Gabella Empire. The main reason they had remained popular for so long was that the waters around Horn Bay were calm and peaceful. In that maritime environment, the tremendous power and maneuverability produced by human rowing over short periods offered great advantages. This was extremely important for the naval battles of the southern countries and for merchants trying to evade pirates.
The maritime trade of the other countries was not well developed, so they had no incentive to innovate in shipbuilding technology. As a result, they generally imitated the ships of the Horn Bay region, meaning that nearly all the ships used throughout the world were Horn Bay galleys or variations of them, such as the one Paul had seen at the shipyard a few days earlier.
Most galleys had flat hulls and shallow drafts. They had an advantage in shallow waters but were unsuitable for the deep sea, because there were too many crew members, including the rowers, and keeping them supplied was also a major problem.
What Paul needed was a fully sail-powered ship capable of crossing the ocean. According to his estimate, transporting goods by sea to the south would require traveling more than two thousand nautical miles from Northwest Bay to Horn Bay.
If he did not use southern merchants as intermediaries and instead sailed east to sell his goods himself, the distance would be even greater. In his view, covering such a distance by having rowers paddle all the way was simply unimaginable.
Besides, he had another "small" wish: to recruit explorers for an Around-the-World Voyage like Magellan's. The world is so big. I want to see it for myself, too.
The Spherical Earth Theory had already spread widely through most countries, but there was still a lack of direct and effective evidence. If an expedition he supported proved that the earth beneath their feet was round, it would surely leave a glorious mark on this world's history.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the conditions for realizing this wish did not yet exist. He had found a carpenter and, based on his memories of his previous life, had him make models of two fully sail-powered ships.
One was modeled after the Swedish New Gothenburg: a U-shaped hull that was narrow at the top and wide below, with a broad belly, and three decks—the lower deck, upper deck, and open deck.
Three masts rose high above it, each carrying square sails. The mainmast and foremast were equipped with upper, middle, and main sails, while the mizzenmast carried a mizzen topsail and a large triangular mizzen sail.
At the bow stood the bowsprit, fitted with a spar for the triangular head sail. Hanging beneath it were two more square-headed sails: the jib and the jib topsail.
The triangular canvas sails were intended to make better use of the Bernoulli effect, allowing the ship to sail against the wind. The U-shaped hull would increase the ship's cargo capacity, deepen its draft, and make its sailing more stable, but it would also increase the risk of striking reefs and running aground.
In Paul's vision, if this kind of ship could be built, it would become the navy's main equipment in its early stages. Once fitted with cannons, it would run unhindered across the oceans of this world.
The other was a model of a clipper ship. This type of vessel had a low freeboard and fewer superstructures, which not only improved its stability but also allowed it to make full use of its sails.
The ship sailed almost against the surface of the water. Its underwater shape was designed as a body of minimal resistance to increase its speed, while retaining a certain lateral resistance profile. This resulted in an especially graceful waterline. The waterline at the bow curved inward, while the long, sharp, scissor-shaped stem assumed a posture suited for racing. It could cut through waves at sea and reduce wave resistance, which was why it was called a clipper.
Compared with the Swedish New Gothenburg, the clipper's stem extended the length of the hull. By projecting a jib boom outward along the stem, more staysails could be hung at the bow, helping increase its sail-carrying capacity.
The hollow bow allowed the ship to lift its bow more easily amid the waves, improving its directional stability. The gradually narrowing, inclined waterline of the stern transitioned smoothly into a narrow rounded tail, blending harmoniously with the ship's elegant bow.
However, clipper ships sacrificed cargo capacity for speed and were also unsuitable for carrying large numbers of cannons. Once built, Paul planned to use this type of ship to transport small quantities of high-value goods or equip the future coast guard to combat piracy and suppress smuggling.
When the shipyard supervisor Rubin saw the two models, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Indeed, regardless of whether the two designs were practical in the eyes of the natives of this other world, their beauty alone surpassed that of the current galleys by a wide margin. Their novel and elegant shapes made the shipyard supervisor's heart itch with excitement.
"Works of art!"
Rubin shamelessly begged the count to leave the models at his shipyard, which suited Paul perfectly. He could not have been happier to let this shipbuilding expert study them more closely.
He had originally wanted to make a model of the Victory, the holy ship of the Age of Sail, for Rubin's reference. But when he thought of the crude conditions in his shipyard, building such a colossal vessel seemed far too fanciful, so he had settled for making these smaller ships instead.
He asked expectantly, "Can we build two actual ships according to these models?"
Yet even this wish was destined to fall through. The shipyard supervisor studied the models and thought carefully for quite some time before finally admitting hesitantly that, given the shipyard's current technical capabilities and the craftsmen's experience, it would probably take a "very, very long" time to build them, even without considering the issue of materials and such.
Paul understood what he meant. That "very, very long" time probably meant never.
"You might as well just say you can't build them."
The disappointment in the count's voice was unmistakable. Rubin grew anxious. He had finally earned the count's attention, and had even sacrificed the ship atlas he had painstakingly organized.
Then inspiration struck, and he offered Paul an idea. "Please don't worry, my lord. Didn't you recently rescue some important figure from the Horn Bay Alliance? If you could use him to recruit a group of craftsmen from the south, it should help. I've heard that the shipbuilders in the south have built all kinds of strange ships."
The count looked at him with an amused smile and said, "Aren't you afraid that one of the newcomers might be talented enough to take your position?"
"Ah? This... this..." Rubin panicked slightly. He had not thought of that just now. He had been too hasty.
"Haha!" Seeing Rubin's uneasy expression, Paul stopped teasing him. He patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't worry. As long as you old hands study hard, work diligently, and continue improving, I'll never forget you. Blood is thicker with those from the same hometown!"
"Yes, my lord! I'll definitely study the technology diligently and live up to your high hopes." Rubin let out a long breath and thumped his chest in assurance.
Paul looked toward the sea and silently thought, It's time to have a talk with Young Master Foster.
Thanks to "Zi Mi Kui," "Mo Jing Si Shui," and "Hu Tu Gui" for the tips.
Thanks to "seed198903" for the continued recommendations.
Before you continue