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October 07, 2003
Minoan ship replica
Greek admiral Apostolos Kourtis set out to build and sail a replica of 5,000 year-old Minoan ships using ancient drawings and construction methods:
"It will creak and groan, but it will hold. It's a flexible boat designed to withstand tricky seas," Kourtis said. Minoan shipbuilders used tall, sturdy cypress trees to make their boats. "The cypress tree's trunk was split in two. Both halves were then placed facing each other to guarantee symmetry," said Kourtis, a naval officer who has become a passionate student of ancient naval technology.
Some modern materials and building methods were used a compromise given time and labour considerations. Despite this, Kourtis even plans to follow a traditional sailing iterary on his planned voyage. The name of the ship - to be on the hull in Linear B script - is "a closely guarded secret"...
Posted by Ghost of a flea at October 7, 2003 07:19 AM