This course is an introduction to the basic technical skills required for recording, representing and interpreting ship archaeological remains. Students are expected to develop a practical approach to the conceptualization and design of a ship. This course is divided in three parts: recording a shipwreck, reconstructing a ship from its archaeological remains, and producing a comprehensive ship project.

Steffy, J. Richard. 1994. Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press.
Readings posted on Canvas.

1. Elementary Lines:
   Draw the lines of a generic hull, 45 cm long, 15 cm in beam. There should be two waterlines, one buttock line, at least five sections, and a single diagonal. Do not worry about keels, rabbets, or any other refinements. The primary goal here is to produce a set of fair, properly justified lines. This drawing should be properly titled, dated, and signed. The project is due at the beginning of class in Week 4
2. Slightly More Complicated Lines:
   Draw the lines of a vessel 20 meters long, 6 meters in beam, with a draft amidships of 2.2 meters. The vessel should have a transom and a rabbeted keel, stem, and sternpost. There should be a deck, and the location of its outboard edge should be indicated by a dashed line on all three views. Draw this vessel at scale 1:50, and provide a graphic scale of the proper form. The drawing will be graded on the basis of accuracy (agreement of points between views; each point out of agreement by more than 0.5 mm is 1.6 points off), completeness, fairness, and neatness. This drawing should be properly titled, dated, and signed. The project is due at the beginning of class in Week 5.
3. Hull Calculation:
   Calculate the displacement and basic hull coefficients (block, prismatic, midships, waterplane) for the hull drawn for Project Number 2.  You may submit the results either as a separate sheet, or as a neat table on the drawing itself.  The project is due with Project Number 2 at the beginning of class on Week 6.
4. Mapping:
   In groups of two or three, map a scatter of timbers using two different methods: 1) triangulation, 2) direct survey measurement (DSM), or 3) (if available) using a grid. First, define the parameters of the “site” by mapping the area and preparing a plan view that shows the locations of the datums. Then, record a sufficient number of points on each timber so that its orientation can be accurately determined within the plan view of the site. Your two plans (one for triangulation, one for DSM) are to be drawn at 1:10, must include a sketch of each timber (with its field number and its measured points clearly identified), and must also include the datum points, a north arrow, a metric scale, and a title block. Include, as well, a table for each plan that lists the measurements from each datum to each measured point, the measurements taken to map the outline of the room, and the measurements between datum points. The project is due on Week 7.
5. Fragment Recording:
   Record a fragment of a timber from the Ship Lab shelves.  This should include one letter format data recording sheet and a 1:10 scale drawing with at least 3 views and one section showing the wood grain.  The project is due at the beginning of class in Week 8.
6. Recording Curves:
   In this assignment, you will record a frame using two different methodologies: 1) offsets, using a horizontal datum and plumb bob and 2) a digital goniometer. From your “field” data you will prepare a drawing showing the two frame sections, sequentially and not superimposed, at a scale of 1:10, with each point plotted.  The horizontal plane must be indicated, as well as the angle of list as determined from the top of the keel. Selecting the section you feel is most accurate, you will then prepare a complete section drawing of the frame at 1:10 showing its molded dimensions, the overlap and fastening of the floor and futtock, as well as the dimensions, locations, details of the keel and planking. Both of your completed section drawings must include metric and Imperial scales and a title block. Finally, prepare tables of offsets and (digital goniometer).  Project is due on Week 9.

Project No. 6 Checklist:

• Pencil drawing showing two frame curvatures.
• Pencil drawing of detailed frame section.
• Tables of offsets and goniometer measurements and readings.

Seventy-five percent of your final grade will depend on an individual ship report.  This will consist of a ten-minute presentation, a short (10page or so) analysis of the vessel’s purpose, form, and construction, a scantling list, a scrapbook, and a set of drawings.  The scrapbook text should not be merely a description of the vessel (that is the purpose, of the drawings), but an account of your choices: why it was built the way it was and how it was suited to its purpose. I expect your scrapbook to be illustrated with sketches and figures that document your choices in the process of reconstructing your ship. Topics you might address include choice of materials and fastening methods, vessel size and cost, function, performance, and durability. Include a bibliography of your principal sources.

The final report must include an Introduction, a description of the vessel of your choice, a description of the sources you used, a description of the result, with illustrations (sketches, sources, details, solutions), a discussion of your choices and, where appropriate, what you would change, and a hull analysis section. The hull analysis section must include a table of the principal dimensions of your vessel in metric units (with contemporary equivalents), a scantling list, and your calculation of the size of the vessel in both a neutral modern unit (metric tons displacement) and appropriate contemporary units. For example, the size of the Kyrenia ship was reckoned by the number of amphorae it could carry, while the Bremen cog was measured in grain lasts.  For some vessels, you may need to furnish other information, such as the weight of the armament for warships. In addition to the displacement, please include a table of the main hull coefficients. All drawings and tables must be included in your report in letter format, paginated and with captions indicating each operation, especially your hull calculations and coefficients. The drawings must include at least the following:

1. A complete set of lines;
2. Construction plans:
   1. Longitudinal section
   2. Two transverse sections (one at the widest point on the hull); one your choice c. Plan of main deck

All drawings must be labeled (project name, drawing description, your name, scale, and date completed) and signed by you.  Neatness counts, but pencil final copies are fine.  Inked final drawings look nice, but if you do not already have extensive inking experience, ruining a final copy is a poor way to get it; concentrate on good pencil work instead.
The vessel to reconstruct must have enough archaeological data and:

1. It must be built of wood.
2. No dugouts, rafts, birch bark canoes, etc.
3. No pleasure craft.
4. It must be at least 10 meters long, but no more than 40 meters.
5. It should not have elaborate castles or deck structures.
6. It may not be a specific vessel for which plans already exist, or a direct copy of such.

You will find that some vessels are simply not practical for a semester project: 100-gun ships of the line, for example.  Within the limits above, the possibilities are endless.  This project is supposed to be fun, so use your imagination.

Helpful hint: start early and work on the written report as you draw. Read Dr. Crisman’s “Guidelines for writing your Term Paper.”  This project is not just a test of your drafting skills.  The grading is as follows: 15% on lines, 35% on construction drawings, 20% on the written portion, and 5% on the presentation. This raw grade is then multiplied by a coefficient between 0.9 and 1.1, which represents, for lack of a better term, degree of difficulty.  Those who attempt more will receive credit for it.  At the same time, this coefficient is a measure of how broad your research was and how effectively you have distilled the available evidence into a believable reconstruction.  For example, a copy of a simple ship, such as one of the Zwammerdam barges, which does not take into account evidence from other vessels of the period, would receive a low coefficient, perhaps 0.93.  On the other hand, an attempted reconstruction of real field data from an excavated wreck that has not yet been studied would require a great deal of extra effort and broad research to fill in the holes, and would thus receive a high coefficient, perhaps 1.03.  This project is a chance to do original research and to communicate the results of research and analysis in a clear, understandable product.

Get started on the research and decision-making for this project early.  Avoid the trap of over-researching, trying to get every detail right before you start drawing.  Very often, the best way to find out what you do and do not know about your ship is to start drawing, and the process of drawing will help you to plan further research.  The lines must be completed by the beginning of class in Week 11; you will need the time after that to complete the construction drawings and the written report.  The project is due by 5pm in Week 15.  Don’t even think of being late – turn in what you have done.  Late projects will lose a letter grade (10%) per day late.