Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Dendro.dk, Copenhagen V, Denmark.
PLoS One. 2021 Oct 29;16(10):e0259391. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259391. eCollection 2021.
Ocean-going ships were key to rising maritime economies of the Early Modern period, and understanding how they were built is critical to grasp the challenges faced by shipwrights and merchant seafarers. Shipwreck timbers hold material evidence of the dynamic interplay of wood supplies, craftmanship, and evolving ship designs that helped shape the Early Modern world. Here we present the results of dendroarchaeological research carried out on Batavia's wreck timbers, currently on display at the Western Australian Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle. Built in Amsterdam in 1628 CE and wrecked on its maiden voyage in June 1629 CE in Western Australian waters, Batavia epitomises Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) shipbuilding. In the 17th century, the VOC grew to become the first multinational trading enterprise, prompting the rise of the stock market and modern capitalism. Oak (Quercus sp.) was the preferred material for shipbuilding in northern and western Europe, and maritime nations struggled to ensure sufficient supplies to meet their needs and sustain their ever-growing mercantile fleets and networks. Our research illustrates the compatibility of dendrochronological studies with musealisation of shipwreck assemblages, and the results demonstrate that the VOC successfully coped with timber shortages in the early 17th century through diversification of timber sources (mainly Baltic region, Lübeck hinterland in northern Germany, and Lower Saxony in northwest Germany), allocation of sourcing regions to specific timber products (hull planks from the Baltic and Lübeck, framing elements from Lower Saxony), and skillful woodworking craftmanship (sapwood was removed from all timber elements). These strategies, combined with an innovative hull design and the use of wind-powered sawmills, allowed the Dutch to produce unprecedented numbers of ocean-going ships for long-distance voyaging and interregional trade in Asia, proving key to their success in 17th-century world trade.
远洋船舶是近代早期海上经济发展的关键，了解它们的建造方式对于把握造船工匠和商船水手所面临的挑战至关重要。沉船木材为木材供应、工艺和不断发展的船舶设计之间的动态相互作用提供了实物证据，这些因素共同塑造了近代早期的世界。在这里，我们展示了对巴达维亚号沉船木材进行的树木年代学研究结果，这些木材目前陈列在弗里曼特尔的西澳大利亚沉船博物馆。巴达维亚号于 1628 年在阿姆斯特丹建造，1629 年 6 月在西澳大利亚海域首航时失事，它是荷兰东印度公司（Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie，VOC）造船的典型代表。在 17 世纪，VOC 发展成为第一家跨国贸易企业，推动了股票市场和现代资本主义的兴起。在北欧和西欧，橡木（Quercus sp.）是造船的首选材料，航海国家努力确保有足够的供应来满足他们的需求，并维持其不断增长的商船队和网络。我们的研究说明了树木年代学研究与沉船组合的博物馆化之间的兼容性，研究结果表明，VOC 在 17 世纪早期通过多样化木材来源（主要来自波罗的海地区、德国北部的吕贝克腹地和德国西北部的下萨克森州）、将采购地区分配给特定的木材产品（波罗的海和吕贝克的船体板、下萨克森州的框架构件）以及熟练的木工工艺（从所有木材构件中去除边材）成功应对了木材短缺问题。这些策略，再加上创新的船体设计和风力驱动的锯木厂，使荷兰人能够为长途航海和亚洲地区间贸易生产前所未有的远洋船舶，这对他们在 17 世纪世界贸易中的成功至关重要。
