Fake history of mankind. Galleys

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

I have long wanted to touch on the topic of naval battles with the use of galleys between the ancient states of the Mediterranean (and not only) and in general the era of the rowing fleet. Because I am a professional sailor and have been a yacht rower for 15 years, I have something to tell you. Namely: galleys never existed in nature.

I consider them part of our fictional history, which has been supported by historical science for decades.

I assure you: none of the historians who had and are related to this topic have ever held the oars in their hands. It is only at first glance that rowing looks like a simple matter, but in reality, nature itself has imposed a number of strict restrictions on the use of an oar, which cannot be bypassed with all the desire. And here the determining factor is the size of the human body and its anatomy. Let's take a closer look at the elements that make up the rowing process:

1. The fulcrum.

The paddle is the lever. The rower cannot use it if he does not have a fulcrum. For the effective use of the oar, the rower must have a support for his feet, and therefore rowing while standing, as we are shown in numerous figures, disappears immediately. The first and foremost condition: rowing is possible only while sitting.

2. The number of rowers on one oar.

In order for the rower to move the oar as far forward as possible (and without this, rowing is just an imitation) and to stretch it as far as possible in the stern, he must sit at the very side and there is no more room for the second rower. What we see in the pictures is a utopia.

3. The length of the oar.

The length of the roller is determined by the length of the torso and arms of the rower, who, without getting up from the can, bending forward and stretching out his arms, raises the oar, then, resting his feet on the support and leaning back and at the same time straightening the body, stretches the oar and at the end of the stroke, bending his arms at the elbows and lifting the paddle out of the water returns the torso to an upright position. Optimally, this length is about a meter.

The valek must be balanced with the blade and the spindle, otherwise it will be impossible to work with the oar. This is done using lead inserts. Firstly: the longer, the heavier the paddle, which means the harder you need to make the roll, as a result, the weight of the paddle and the effort when working with it increases, as well as the time spent on one cycle. Secondly: with the increase in the length of the oar, the lever decreases, which means the efficiency of rowing and the speed of the vessel. The optimal paddle length for a person is about 4 meters (including the roller).

4. The height of the oarlock above the water mirror.

The maximum rowing efficiency is achieved when the roller is positioned at chest level with the paddle lowered into the water. If the oarlock is located low, then the roll when skidding the oar will rest against the rower's knees, and if it is high, the rower will have to lift his arms up, and also tilt the torso towards the side when pulling the oar, which will lead to a rapid loss of strength. The optimal height of the oarlock relative to the water with an oar length of 4 meters is about one meter. That is why the oars in three tiers are nothing more than an artistic fiction.

5. Blind rowing is not possible.

We see that on galleys with 2 or more decks, the rowers of the lower deck do not see their oars. Rowing in such conditions is impossible, because if the blade of the oar is lowered into the water below the optimal level (3/4), then the rower will not be able to raise it in time and the whole side will malfunction, and if it is higher, then the oar will simply slide along the surface of the water and also cause a malfunction. The rower must constantly keep an eye on the paddle blade.

6. Rotation of the oar during rowing around the longitudinal axis.

This technique is known only to those who are engaged in rowing. It consists in the following: before plunging the oar, the rower turns the oar away from himself so that it enters the water at an angle not 90 degrees to the surface, but about 60, otherwise the second half of the oar's working stroke will be ineffective. When lifting the oar, the rower turns it again, but already towards himself and the oar easily comes out of the water at an angle, otherwise it will be pressed by the oncoming stream of water to the board. These movements also require the energy of the rower.

On the oars, as we see in the figure, such a technique is impossible.

7. Practicality.

Apart from the above arguments against it, it is not clear how such long oars were retracted inside closed decks in bad weather or sailing? And on open decks, how did the sailors move among the cans and folded oars while steering the sails and in stormy weather? In addition, the slaves, chained to their banks, had to be freed and moved to the hold. For some reason, historians are modestly silent: how did the chained slaves relieve themselves? And this is an important issue in the limited space on the ship. How all this happened in life is difficult even to imagine.

8. The size of the rowing vessel.

Oars are extremely ineffective as a propulsion at sea, and in the presence of even a slight wind and waves, they are completely useless. They can only be used on small vessels, up to about 12 meters in length, in closed sea areas and lakes. With large dimensions, the aerodynamic and hydrodynamic resistance of the shape and surface of the ship does not leave the oars the slightest chance.

9. Making oars.

Long, lightweight and durable paddles were not possible before the advent of epoxy glue. Since the paddle is made not from a single piece of wood, but from several laths glued together.

Conclusions:

Neither galleys, nor triremes, nor similar rowing vessels have ever existed due to their meaninglessness. There were small, not more than 15 meters long, rowing and sailing vessels. And that means in history there have never been naval battles, and other events with the participation of galleys. And this is a completely different story …