Wapen of Hamburg (1686)
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 Ship model of the Wapen von Hamburg (II) without masts and rigging. |
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| Ship data | ||
| Surname: | Wapen of Hamburg (II) | |
| Builder: | Shipyard at Theerhof , Hamburg | |
| Launching ( ship christening ): | 1686 | |
| Crew: | 230–250 (190 officer and crew grades, and approx. 60 soldiers) | |
| Technical specifications | ||
| Type: | Convoy ship ; Two-decker | |
| Length over all: | 39.98 m (140 feet) | |
| Width: | 11.14 m (36 feet) | |
| Drive: | sail | |
| Draft: | not known | |
| Armament: | approx. 54 cannons | |
The Wapen von Hamburg (II) from 1686 is a convoy ship that sailed under the Hamburg flag. It was commissioned by the Hamburg Admiralty and the Hamburg Trade Union and had the task of accompanying ship convoys to Hamburg's overseas trading partners and protecting them from enemy attacks or attacks by corsairs. The ship is the direct successor of the Wapen von Hamburg (I), which exploded off Cádiz in 1683 .
Historical background
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After the power fall of the Hanseatic League in the 16th century, Hamburg gained increasing economic importance. Due to immigration and the associated gain in trading partners, the Free Imperial City of Hamburg grew in the middle of the 17th century, alongside London and Amsterdam, to become one of the most important urban trading centers, today quite comparable to a global city , whose trading relationships stretch from Greenland to the Middle and White The sea . The most important points of contact were the Iberian Peninsula , England , the Arctic Ocean (with reference to whaling) and Arkhangelsk . The expansion of the trade areas as well as the violent expansion of the sphere of influence of Christianity, especially in the Mediterranean area, inevitably led to confrontations, which ultimately also led to attacks by Muslim corsairs .
These operated with their ships from the barbarian states and hit the heavy and often almost defenseless merchant convoys, usually consisting of 20 to 50 merchant ships . The ships were taken as prizes , the cargoes confiscated, and the ship's crews were often enslaved or imprisoned under the worst conditions until a ransom was paid. In order to buy back their captains and helmsmen who had been captured, skippers and helmsmen called the “Casse of the Pieces of Eights” into being, a ransom insurance that served as the basis for ransom payments. So that those who could not afford contributions to this insurance could also be bought back, the slave fund was founded in 1623, which consisted of compulsory contributions from shipowners and crews as well as grants from government organizations and the admiralty tax. Since the funds were insufficient, collecting basins were also set up in the churches and house collections were organized.
In the course of the 17th century, the corsairs even extended their radius of operation from the Mediterranean via Gibraltar and the English Channel to the mouth of the Elbe . As a result, the supply of Hamburg from sea routes partially stalled, so that at times there were even goods bottlenecks in the city.
In addition, more and more Christian warring nations became an economic problem for Hamburg.
For example, France sent more privateers from Dunkirk to intercept the Hamburg and Dutch Greenlanders who transported goods from whale and seal fishing and processed them in Hamburg. Other affected parties such as the Netherlands , England , France, Norway , Denmark , but also the Hanseatic city of Bremen and Brandenburg-Prussia had to struggle with piracy problems on their trade routes and, as a countermeasure, granted their traders escort by escorting the trader convoys with frigates or warships .
Hamburg's rulers wanted to secure their important position in international trade as sustainably as possible and thus decided to protect their merchant convoys as well and to organize an escort by the so-called convoy ships ("convoyers"). In 1623 the Hamburg Admiralty was founded, which was responsible for the construction, equipment and maintenance of these ships. In 1665 merchants and boatmen finally founded the Commerzdeputation , whose task it was to follow the needs of traders for more security on the trade routes and to organize appropriate support. In fact, it was over 40 years after the establishment of the Admiralty that the construction of the first ships was decided and actually carried out. The main reason for this was disagreement over the financing of the ships and their maintenance. In the course of time, not least influenced by the constant arrests of Hamburg merchant ship crews by corsairs and the associated immense economic losses for individual merchants, those responsible finally saw themselves forced to find a financial consensus and to carry out the construction in order to prevent such attacks in the future.
Since Hamburg in the 17th and 18th centuries always tried to keep itself and its residents out of armed conflicts that were harmful to trade and to take a position as neutral as possible towards conflicting parties, the term "warship" was expressly avoided. Instead, the official designation “Konvoischiff” or “Stadtkonvoischiff” was used, which was supposed to designate a more passive type of ship designed for defense than attack. In fact, however, these ships can be called warships , as they were primarily designed to carry weapons. In terms of firepower, however, they could not keep up with the warships of the sea powers .
The convoy ships were thus warships with permanent escort orders, which protected the Hamburg convoy shipping from 1669 to 1747 and ensured trade to and from Hamburg and thus sustainably secured Hamburg's position as a trading metropolis.
Origin and structure
The Wapen von Hamburg (II) from 1686 is the second convoy ship with this name.
In 1685, the Hamburg Admiralty considered building a new one, as Hamburg had only one convoy ship in service with the Leopoldus Primus after the loss of the Wapen von Hamburg (I) . However, the new building should (not least for reasons of cost) be smaller than its predecessor, which fell victim to an on-board fire. The basis of the considerations was therefore a smaller convoy ship with 30 to 40 cannons . In September 1685, the new building for 30,000 Taler was finally determined and decided, however, a larger building analogous to its predecessor, which was equipped with 54 cannons - was only reduced for the first time with the Admiralty of Hamburg built in 1690 . The keel-laying of the Wapen von Hamburg (II) took place at the shipyard at Theerhof, just like its predecessor in Hamburg. Gerd Gerdes was won as master shipbuilder , who, like his predecessor, was based on Dutch ship construction models. For the sculptural work, the sculptor and altar carver Christian Precht , who was already active at the Wapen von Hamburg (I) and the Leopoldus Primus, could be engaged again.
In addition to the construction costs, the most important ship's dimensions (length 140 feet, width 36 feet, three-part keel: 23 inches thick and 22 inches wide) were regulated in the so-called Zerter so that the total costs could be seen. Although the carvings of the transom were enshrined in Zerter, sculptors Precht own initiative out has taken action in terms of harmonization of the carvings of the ship over the contractual agreements beyond what was actually paid to him in retrospect as appreciation of his work.
The ship was completed in July 1686.
The new Wapen von Hamburg (II) was designed for a crew of 230-250 men, including 50-60 soldiers.
The ship was a square sail with three masts ( mizzen mast , main mast and foremast ). Only on the mizzen mast was there a latin sail in the lowest position (undersan sail) . In addition, the blind could be seated at the bowsprit . At the bowsprit there was a Mars , on which a bowsprit mast was installed, on which the upper blind (Bouvenblinde) could be set. When designing the ship, care had to be taken to ensure that it did not have an excessive draft, as otherwise the shallows of the Elbe, in particular the Altonaer Sand, could not pass safely.
The Wapen von Hamburg (II) was a two-decker and ended in the stern area with a smooth transom. The large state coat of arms of Hamburg , an image of the castle in the form of a shield - held by two lions, was installed as a central eye-catcher and representative carving on the transom . This sculptural work was framed by various allegorical and baroque- style carvings: A gallery was integrated into the transom, which was richly decorated with gold, which led into the side galleries . This gallery essentially consisted of angelic figures ( putti ) making music . On the left and right above it was a Poseidon figure . The side galleries, like the gallery, took up antique style elements and allegories and were also lined with putti making music and fish figures as well as hybrid creatures such as the hippocampus . Two putti were also installed on the roof of each side gallery, each holding a Hamburg coat of arms in their hands. An artfully decorated frieze was also installed above the gallery . The entire rear gallery as well as the side gallery were optically supported by a number of water women . Above the upper frieze, there were three large stern lights that rounded off the traditional appearance of the stern area.
As a figurehead , a lion adorned the bow, as is customary on many sailing warships of Dutch design, which held a Hamburg coat of arms in its paws. Such a Hamburg coat of arms was also located above the steering wheel of the Kampanje.
The hull was planked in the Kraweel construction including the bulwark , which, in contrast to the clinker construction, was characterized by a relatively flat surface.
The Wapen von Hamburg (II) was equipped with approx. 54 cannons , with the heavier calibers positioned on the lower weapon deck. The ship had more gun ports than guns, so that the armament and a possible payload could be handled more flexibly. At that time these cannons were still provided with a balje , a water vessel that the operating team used to cool the pipes inside and out with appropriate wipers and plugs.
The cannons were usually imported from the Netherlands or Sweden.
period of service
In a petition issued by influential merchants and boatmen on August 19, 1684 , Captain Caspar Tamm was recommended for the ship. A day later, another no less influential interest group appeared at the Admiralty, suggested by Johann Schulte , who was eventually given preference. However, the citizenship denied him the office, so that finally Tamm was appointed captain of the Wapen of Hamburg (II) .
Similar to Captain Holste from the Wapen von Hamburg (I) , Captain Tamm also repeatedly violated his convoy instructions and loaded his convoy ship with unregistered cargo that was not listed in any convoy books. Tamm was confronted with the allegations, but he declared z. B. transported sugar as a ship's ballast and justified its taking along with the improvement of the sailing and fighting properties of his ship due to the fact that the cargo was more stable in the water. The Admiralty did not undertake particularly careful investigations, and Tamm narrowly escaped disciplinary action because they did not want to deny his already earned services against the corsairs.
The Wapen von Hamburg (II) undertook a total of 24 convoy trips from 1686 to 1718, which took them seven times to the Iberian Peninsula , three times to England , six times to the Arctic Ocean and eight times to Arkhangelsk .
When a general overhaul was due in 1719, after 32 years of service , the Hamburg finance department no longer wanted to approve the necessary repairs. The ship was certainly still seaworthy , but the repairs would have also involved an increase in draft . One did not want to accept this, because at the same time it was found that the Elbe was getting shallower and in particular the Altonaer Sand, a shoal in the Elbe, posed a danger for ships with a high draft, the old decision was made on March 31, 1719 Ship no longer to be kept.
After this decision was made, the Wapen von Hamburg (II) was temporarily still used as a quarantine ship at the suggestion of the health college . In principle, however, the Admiralty was anxious to sell the "convoyer". Hamburg's neighboring city of Altona , which at that time belonged to the Danish crown, expressed interest, but was not awarded the contract, as it was feared that the Altona would sink the ship in the middle of the Elbe just before Hamburg and thus block or at least hinder the free trade routes to Hamburg .
Other interested parties were willing to pay up to 900 thalers . Since the Admiralty wanted to collect at least 1000 thalers, there was initially no deal.
It is not known whether and when the Wapen von Hamburg (II) was ultimately sold. On July 18, 1722, the successor Wapen von Hamburg (III) was completed and presented to the general public, so that it can be assumed that the old ship was no longer in the possession of the city of Hamburg at that time.
In total there were four convoy ships with the name Wapen von Hamburg , which worked for the city of Hamburg from 1669 to 1747 until the convoy escort by convoy ships was discontinued.
More pictures of the ship
Detail view of some allegorical carved figures on the bow
View of the forecastle of the Wapen von Hamburg (II)
Detailed view of the port side gun ports (detail)
Remarks
- ↑ Unfortunately the ship model shown is damaged. Unfortunately, the model only has two correctly seated rear lights at the rear. In the normal state, the ship, like the model, was however equipped with three stern lights lying next to each other.
- ↑ In sources and secondary literature, some of the Hamburg convoy ships are sometimes referred to as frigates , even if the ships were relatively large two-deckers (that means two gun decks). But they were not frigates in the newer sense of the type of lighter, very seaworthy warships with only one gun deck introduced from the middle of the 18th century. In the 17th and first half of the 18th century, the term "frigate" was used for a number of different types of ships, so that many ships from very small "single decks" to relatively large "double deckers" could be called this.
- ↑ A Hamburg foot is 0.2856 m long
- ↑ In some sources / literature and in more modern usage, the first ship Wapen von Hamburg (I) was also called “Wappen von Hamburg”, but in some documents from that time it was also called “Das Wapen von Hamburg”; Accordingly, the spelling "Wapen" is historically correct, which also applies to the successors
- ↑ Shortly before the Commerzdeputation was founded, eight armed Hamburg drivers and their goods were captured from just two barbarian galleys . This hijacking ultimately caused economic damage of around 1.5 million Courantmarks for the Hamburg merchants.
- ↑ The city council occasionally referred to the ships in its writings as "Orlog" ships, meaning warships. The Admiralty as well as the merchants asserted externally that the ships would always serve the protection and defense of merchant goods and were not commissioned for acts of war in Hamburg.
- ↑ The method of cooling cannon barrels with water was questioned from around 1794 onwards, as they could take structural damage as a result of cooling. For this reason, the Royal Navy in England first switched to stop cooling them.
- ↑ Because of the good quality of Swedish artillery and the good transport infrastructure, the Hamburg Admiralty was prepared to accept longer transport routes. After initial quality defects, Swedish cannons were manufactured according to Dutch know-how, so that Sweden became one of the leading arms manufacturers in Europe from 1639 onwards. In 1668 a total of 1,346 cannons left the Swedish manufactories on the export route (to Mondfeld / Bayerlein / Klingenbrunn, p. 170 and Cipolla, p. 61 ff.)
- ↑ At that time it was common in Hamburg to buy into the role of captain. In addition to numerous advocates, the applicant had to have a not insignificant amount of money to be able to take up a position. A captain of a convoy ship was paid 150 thalers a month ; so it took a certain amount of time before the work was amortized. The selection of the captains was made by the convoy college. A convoy ship captain received a fixed salary and pension for life.
- ↑ Captain Holste violated his captaincy order several times and despite repeated admonitions and finally lost command of the ship Wapen von Hamburg (I), which was under his control.
- ↑ According to Kresse 1981, p. 36.
See also
- Wapen of Hamburg (III)
- Wapen of Hamburg (IV)
- Admiralty of Hamburg
- Leopoldus Primus
- Coat of arms of Bremen (Bremen)
- Friedrich Wilhelm on Horseback (Brandenburg-Prussia)
literature
- Kurt Grobecker: Hamburg's proud frigates against the corsairs - convoy ship (f) ahrt in the 17th century , Medien-Verlag Schubert, Hamburg, 2007, ISBN 978-3-937843-12-4
- Prof. Dr. Jörgen Bracker: God's friend - all over the world enemy / From piracy and convoy travel / Störtebeker and the consequences , Zertani printing and publishing house, Bremen, 2001, ISBN 3-9805772-5-2
- Wolfgang Quinger: "Coat of Arms of Hamburg" I. A 17th century convoy ship . Delius Klasing Vlg GmbH (1980), Hamburg, ISBN 3-7688-0329-5
- Werner von Melle: Karpfanger, Berend Jacobsen (1623–1683) Hamburg sea captain and admiral. Biographie , Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie Volume 15, published in 1882.
- Georg Dietrich von der Groeben : Explanations on understanding shipping and naval warfare according to alphabetical order , published in 1774, Breßlau. Reprint of the original edition: Neufahrn / Percha 1984, ISBN 3-88706-235-3
- Carlo M. Cipolla: Sails and cannons - The European expansion at sea , Berlin: Verlag Klaus Wagenbach, 1999. ISBN 3-8031-3602-4
- W. zu Mondfeld, A. Bayerlein, M. Klingenbrunn: Schiffsgeschützen 1350-1870 , Volume 1, Herford 1988.
- Herman Langenbeck: Notes on the Hamburg ship and sea law , published 1727, Hamburg.
- Klaus Weber: German merchants in the Atlantic trade, 1680-1830, companies and families in Hamburg, Cádiz and Bordeaux , Verlag CH Beck oHG, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-406-51860-5
- Dr. Carl W. Reinhold, Georg Nikolaus Bärmann: Hamburg Chronicle of the origin of the city up to our days , Hamburg 1820
- Hessel, Peter: Heart-flowing considerations / Von dem Elbe-Strom , Altona 1675.
- Walter Kresse: From poor sailors and the Schifferalten zu Hamburg , Hamburg 1981, ISBN 3-7672-0752-4