Croatology, Vol. 12 No. 1, 2021.
Original scientific paper
Names and characteristics of 18th century Croatian ships in the Adriatic Sea from the Croatian Maritime Regesta v. I
Zrinka Podhraški Čizmek
orcid.org/0000-0003-0620-2108
; Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Naida-Mihal Brandl
orcid.org/0000-0003-4379-3445
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, Ivana Lučića 3, 10000 Zagreb.
Abstract
This paper analyzes all the names and characteristics of ships registered in the Croatian Maritime Regesta v. I, which represent 4,890 documents with 18th c. information on the entries and exits of ships from several Adriatic ports. A total of 6,479 sailing ships have been found under 55 different terms. A comparative analysis of their characteristics and specific features has proven that in the 18th c., between the ports of Adriatic coasts, intensive trading was taking place on a daily basis. From the analysis it is evident that the merchants and small paroni preferred to use smaller ships, with a deadweight tonnage of between 20 and 300 t, which were faster and easier to manage, with good sailing properties. These were primarily trabaccolos (accounting for 22.7% of trade), then pielegos (21%) and tartanes (15.4%), brazzeras (5.2%), marcilianas (2.7%), polacres (2.4%), barche (1.6%) and grippos (1.4%). Smaller ships under 300 t of deadweight tonnage accounted for as much as 76% of the total sailers listed, while the larger ships, with over 300 t of deadweight tonnage, among which were frigatoons (5.3%) and huge navas i.e. vessels (5.2%), accounted for 14% of the total, predominantly extra-Adriatic and extra-Mediterranean traffic. From the average size of the ships it was concluded that the 18th c. in the Adriatic was characterized by sailing within its confines and by highly dynamic small and medium entrepreneurs: ships were constructed, used to transport goods and passengers, and to trade via maritime routes all along the Italian coast.
Keywords
Ships; boats; Croats; Adriatic; seafaring; trade; trabaccolo; pielego; tartane; frigatoon; brazzera; nava; marciliana; polacre
Hrčak ID:
255159
URI
Publication date:
3.4.2021.
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