Use of timber in shipbuilding industry: Identification and analysis of timber from shipwrecks off Goa coast, India
IR@NIO: CSIR-National Institute Of Oceanography, Goa
View Archive Info| Field | Value | |
| Creator |
Tripati, S.
Sujatha, M. Rao, R.V. Rao, K.S. |
|
| Date |
2006-03-24T06:54:23Z
2006-03-24T06:54:23Z 2005 |
|
| Identifier |
Current Science, vol.89(6), 1022-1027
http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/29 |
|
| Description |
The use of timber in the boatbuilding or shipbuilding industry is as old as the construction of boats and ships. Various kinds of timber are used in different regions of India in the construction of vessels. The Yuktikalpataru (the wishing tree of artifice) composed by the king Bhoja of Dhar (11th century AD) gives a detailed account of boats, ships and the variety of wood used for their construction and classification of ships. Further, the text also mentions the quality of timber that is required for construction of sea going ships, which could resist the action of waves, currents, marine biofouling, above all, it would bring joy and wealth. In order to locate the remains of ships, cargo and their history, maritime archaeological explorations were carried out off Goa, which brought to light timber from the century old shipwreck off St George’s Reef and an iron anchor with a wooden stock of 300 years old from Aguada waters. The radiocarbon dating and anatomical analysis of these two timbers were obtained to understand their age and to know the tree species. This paper details the anatomical analysis of the timber and associated findings from the sites. Their tentative dates are ascribed to the findings in relation to the maritime history of the Goa region along the central west coast of India. Additionally, the study put forth the view that Indian teak was extensively used by the Indian and foreign shipbuilders because of its high quality.
In House Project, NIO, Goa |
|
| Format |
247041 bytes
application/pdf |
|
| Language |
en
|
|
| Publisher |
Indian Academy of Scinces
|
|
| Rights |
Copyright with Publisher.
|
|
| Subject |
Shipwrecks
St George’s Reef Iron Anchor Aguada bay |
|
| Title |
Use of timber in shipbuilding industry: Identification and analysis of timber from shipwrecks off Goa coast, India
|
|
| Type |
Article
|
|