Offshore voyages, onshore art

Our lives are surrounded by objects from around the globe, though they often pass unnoticed. From our television sets to our food products, they have all crossed several shores to reach our abodes. Most of us are oblivious to the fact that almost 80% of trading in the world is through shipping. September 28 is World Maritime Day. Started by the United Nations in 1978, the day was envisioned as a way to raise awareness about the significance of the shipping industry and its contributions to the global economy.

Artists have always been inspired by life at sea. The ocean and her ships have served as their muse through all ages. Ships and boats are a part of art history. Most ancient civilisations were known for their seafaring abilities. Navigations then were not the journeys that are undertaken now. It simply meant short trips along coastlines. Given the fact that ships were basically powered by sails back then, not much distance could be covered anyway. The Uluburun Shipwreck, which was an ancient Bronze Age shipwreck, discovered by archaeologists in 1982 contained Egyptian Art which revealed their trading patterns. Here’s a look at some of the most famous ships in history.

The boats of Egypt

For the Egyptians, the Nile was their national highway. Tutankhamun’s tomb contained a lot of models of boats of the time. As far back as 3200 BC, the people on the coasts of Lebanon were shipping wood to Egypt for building ships. This trade relationship for the purpose of shipbuilding flourished for another 2,000 years. The Great Pyramid, known also as an architectural marvel, has the King’s chamber at the core. Built from granite blocks, some of which weighed over eighty tonnes, it is an extraordinary accomplishment even in today’s times with all our technology, that these huge blocks were transported by boats for nearly 300 miles down the Nile River. They traded their knowledge of building these boats for a constant supply of timber.

The Slave Ships

All ships in history did not contain material commodities for trade. There have been dark periods when human beings were treated as cargo and bundled off in them, undertaking risky voyages in alarmingly miserable conditions only to be sold as slaves in distant lands of the white man. Sue Williamson’s installation at the 2018 Kochi-Muziris Biennale titled ‘Messages from the Atlantic Passage’ sheds light on 300 years of slavery that was facilitated by maritime transport. Five fishing nets suspended from the ceiling and filled to the brim with glass bottles have the name of a slave inscribed on each bottle. Below the net is a wooden base filled with seawater, and bearing the details of the journey. The chilling difference in the headcount on departure and arrival is something that cannot be ignored. It haunts you long after viewing the work.

The Mystery Ship

In the years that ensued, thousands of voyages were undertaken by the East India Company to India, of which there are records at the Marine Department. In their midst, there lies a mystery hidden in the ancient logs and journals. Going by the accounts, a ship called Roebuck seems to have been at two places at the same time. The written journals of Henry Crosby mention his journey on board the Roebuck in July 1620 from England, disembarking at Jakarta in December 1620. At the same time, the journal of another sea-bound traveller, Richard Swan mentions being on the same Roebuck in July 1620 sailing between the Cape of Good Hope and Surat in India. While Crosby disembarked at Jakarta in December, Swan reached the shores of Iran, 4,000 miles away, on board the Roebuck. Well, every narrative has its own share of secret enigmas!

Cleopatra’s Barge

Cleopatra’s Barge was the first yacht built in the United States that was equipped to undertake an ocean voyage. In the 18th century, the Crowninshield family made a fortune with their thriving shipping business. When the sons inherited the business in 1815, the oldest commissioned a pleasure barge which he named Cleopatra’s Barge, influenced by the play Antony and Cleopatra. This may seem unworthy of any mention in today’s times, but in an era when only merchant and naval ships were made, an entire vessel for the purpose of leisure was novel indeed and attracted a lot of universal attention.

The ships that conquered

There were ships that plainly traded goods and then there were ships that arrived on shores with a commercial interest but went on to colonise the land and the people. Hector was the first British merchant ship to mark the arrival of the East India Company into India and, as we all know, changed the history of our nation for centuries. The ship, commanded by Captain William Hawkins, was intended to develop commerce after meeting the Mughal emperor Jehangir for trading rights. No one perhaps predicted all that would follow but this ship has certainly etched its name in all our collective memories and in the annals of maritime history.