ratchets
Introduction
The carracas were high-board round sail vessels specialized in transporting large loads on long voyages. There were carracas from the century to the century. They were the largest European ships of their time.
They were highly appreciated by the Portuguese, Venetians and Genoese and less used by the Castilians and Aragonese. Very few carracks were built in the shipyards of the Cantabrian Sea, due to their poor behavior in storms.
Origins
Built by the Portuguese in the 17th century during their explorations, the basic configuration of the carrack consisted of a hull with considerable draft, a mast and a huge rectangular sail. As time went by, significant advances were incorporated; The main one was the incorporation of a sternpost rudder as a replacement for the blade rudders.
Its size and draft gave it very important and appreciated benefits:
The main disadvantage of the ratchets was their poor maneuverability and slowness, deficiencies that were improved with the technical advances that arose.
Another important aspect of the carracas was that, as they had a significant draft, they could only carry out loading and unloading operations in high ports, whether they were sea or river, or while anchored at a distance. Its ability to maneuver in coastal ports was very limited.
Another drawback of this type of vessel was the high construction cost, especially considering that during the Middle Ages European nation states were essentially nominal; In reality, Europe was fragmented into feudal territories and city states, of which only a few had the means to finance the construction of carracks. This aspect is significant from a historical point of view, since in naval terms, the carrack, as a warship, was far superior to the Viking longship. However, the lack of defensive fleets in Europe, especially in France and England, allowed the Vikings to carry out successful invasions in these kingdoms.
Characteristics
Contenido
El casco tenía un castillo de proa que, a diferencia de la coca "Coca (náutica)"), no era una estructura superpuesta al casco, sino que formaba parte de él integrándose perfectamente y que no sobresalía por los costados. Tenía mayor altura que los castillos "Castillo (náutica)") anteriores y, en muchas ocasiones, podían colocarse varios puentes superpuestos. La misma estructura era aplicada al alcázar de popa compuesto de dos o más puentes llamados alcazarillos, englobados en la estructura de la nave, donde se instalaron inicialmente los cañones "Cañón (artillería)"). Las carracas tenían un casco ligeramente más redondeado que las cocas e incorporaron por primera vez los tres palos. El trinquete y el mayor con velas cuadradas (inicialmente una cada palo) y el mesana una vela triangular. En las carracas más evolucionadas se añadió un cuarto palo a popa llamado contramesana con velas latinas. A medida que transcurrieron los años el velamen se complicó añadiendo nuevas velas cuadradas a los dos primeros palos. Esta estructura vélica dificultaba la navegación con viento de bolina "Bolina (náutica)") pero facilitaba la de viento de través y de popa.