Kuhl (shipbuilding)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the Kuhl of the Sovereign of the Seas you can see people on a light construction above the Kuhl without a railing. Four guns are aimed at the Kuhl from the half-deck, possibly but not visible, also from the forecastle aft.
The Black Pinnace 1585 with boarding nets stretched over the entire upper deck.

The term Kuhl from seafaring is probably closely related to the High German word Kuhle and describes the unplaned space between the fore and aft deck . If there are no superstructures, this can also mean the space between the main mast and foremast or the area in front of the main mast up to the fore hatch.

history

On warships, the Kuhl was originally the place where embarked troops were posted. The superstructures were understood as bastions that had to protect the Kuhl, where the main force was posted. This is why it was also called Placa de Armas (Place of Arms) in Spanish . Even later in the naval wars during the Napoleonic era, the last still fought with sailing ships, boarding commands were still often set up in the Kuhl. In addition, it was often spanned with boarding nets and well secured to prevent the enemy from getting onto the main deck and getting stuck in the ship. Wooden lattice constructions also pursued this purpose.

With regard to the effects of the weather, there have been repeated attempts to reduce them through constructive measures. The ship's side in the Kuhl was pulled up almost to the level of the entrenchment of the forecastle and half deck. Light plank layers were applied. Walkways were also placed over the Kuhl as a connection between the forecastle and half deck. The smaller dinghies were then stored there.

literature

  • Henri Louis Duhamel du Monceau : The beginnings of shipbuilding, or practical treatise on shipbuilding. From the French of Herr du Hamel du Monceau. With a title copper, ten vignettes and eighteen large coppers. Translated and with additional notes by CGD Müller . (= Scene of the arts and crafts. Volume 19) Joachim Pauli, Berlin 1791 ÖNB ; Stp. "Kuhl" in the register and explanations of the artificial words , without page indication
  • Peter Kirsch: The galleons. Large sailing ships around 1600. Bernard & Graefe Verlag. Koblenz 1988. ISBN 3-7637-5470-9 .
  • Frank Howard: Sailing Warships 1400-1860. Bernard & Graefe Publishing House. Koblenz 1989. ISBN 3-7637-5239-0