News - progress in building the ship
Frame 11½ a pain in
the buttock?
Master shipwright Jaap Luiting gives
the latest on the construction. The stern-post has now been set. Time
for the stern and the buttock of the ship. But before it can get to that,
we have to deal with "frame 11½". Does it match
the frames they have been now drawn up, or will it prove to be a real
pain. Jaap Luiting wants to get clear on that first.
"Fact of the matter is that the lines of the ship are now fair,
exactly as in the original line drawings. Except for the frame furthest
aft, frame 11½, which turns out to be about 20 centimeters
wider than in the original drawings. This could happen because although
the original plans do give the measurements, we do not know precisely
how to interpret those measurements. You can compare it to a composition
by Mozart, for example. You can read the notes but you are not sure
exactly how fast or slow he intended them to be played. That will
always remain an interpretation.
Besides, frame 11½ has quite an extreme shape to it: it runs
at a considerable angle, looking down on it. This makes it difficult
to determine the shape", according to Jaap. "We had two
choices: leave it as it is, or try to find out how they intended
it back in the eighteenth century. Eventually, after many headaches
and sleepless nights, I chose the latter. Simply because we now have
that opportunity". Jaaps decision means that the ships frames
have to be drawn out on to the frames floor yet one more time. "If
that will show that the way we did it is the right way, I can have
peace with it".
curved trees |
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 Meanwhile,
the wood supplier has been hard at work looling for wood for the
approximately 80 frames. All together about 1000 trees! Not an easy
task since not only are the frames pretty wide, they also are curved.
"On
waterline 7, so at a height of 7 meters, there is an almost 90 degree
angle. This results in a diamondshaped cross-section if looking
at it from above. The search is on for trees that have grown to
the width, shape, and curve needed. Quite interesting in a time
when people mostly prefer straight trees from which to saw nice
straight planks. Nowadays, trees are even grown specifically for
that purpose!"
a ‘clean’ ship
At the same time, work has started on the tail-end of the ship.
"Ship of the line 'De Delft' had a nice sloping shape of the
aft ship. That shape of the lower hull aft made for good sailing
characteristics and good moveability. It made De Delft, despite
her enormous size, still a very slim or ‘clean’ ship.
Whether they had purposefully build her like that in her own time?
I really would like to know that!”
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Picture series about the work on the yard and construction:
SHIPYARD - PHOTO SERIES |
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