The First Naval Architect?

otiw une eschool "For ships, we have to fear an infinity of bad qualities of the greatest consequence, which we are never sure of being able to remove, without uvilerstanilinq (lie theory. 'I',,to.sesI//IS tliuoiiI in tillIse1eti/ .S(('tO.S/0 aceet/ thepower of I/ic1/un/an u,ulvr.stawlinq. It e ate oblzqe(/therefore to con/en! ourselces with a part of this vast science; that is, with knowing sufficient of it to give to ships the principal good qualities, which I conceive to be: That a ship with a certain draught of water, should be able to contain and carry a determinate lading. That it should have a sufficient and also determinate stability. That it should be easy to the sea, or its rol- ling and pitching not too quick. That it should sail well before the wind, and close to the wind; and work well in windward. That it should not be too ardent (a ship's tendency to turn to windward) and yet come easily about. Of these qualities one part is at variance with another; it is necessary therefore to try to unite theory and practice, that no more is lost in one object than is necessary in order to secure another, so that the sume of both may be a maxium." From A Treatise on Ship-Building, 1775

:r. FOR THE NAVAL ARCHITECT, the precepts quoted above are classicnot because they are almost A merchant ship designed by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman, the Baron Anders von two hundred years old, but because they em- HOpken, is brought to life in a model in the Swedish National Maritime Museum body the essence of designing ships. Such time- at Stockholm. Built in 1759, this typeofvessel had a full fore body and trim after body to provide large deadweight carrying-capacity on trading voyages in the less words might have been enough to draw Atlantic and Mediterranean. Chapman defined this design as "cat-built, history's spotlight to their Swedish originator- 8hi p-rigging". Fredrik Henrik af Chapman, a master shipwright who became an admiralif his achievements were not in so esoteric a discipline. How- ever, once initiated into the mysteries of de- H signing ships, men tend to build their knowledge on traditions established in the current generation and perhaps one generation back. The un- initiated who have never caught a whiff of the The First Naval Architect? heady scent exuded by a sea-going success are even less likely to be interested in an 18th-century navalarchitect,whose achievements, 200 years ago, a Swedish shipwright published though seldom heralded, were vital to shipbuilding progress on through the 19th century. a definitive work that gives him a strong Today, 200 years later, Chapman's most claim to the title. significant concepts are still in vogue. Whether they qualify as "original thought" is doubtful, but Chapman deserves much of the credit none- theless. H is many accomplishments include being one of the first men to successfully trans-

Survcjor is grateful to ABS Surveyors BoG. Lindvall of the Stockholm office and Hans G. Meyer of late the mathematical theory of ship design the Now York office for their contributions in compiling this article. into practical application in a shipyard. Cer- Except for the drawings on pages 16 and 17 tnd on, photo on page 18, all illustrutions wore supplied through the Swedish National Maritime Museum at Stockholm. tainly, he was the first to popularize the idea

14Surveyor t liit iiii(ltSll.ii('lSlilitlii IIII\\ ('li-V(l5('lI iii 1)1:11ciii ii'liiii'I',ii'j';i',l:vt'II.liiimgli i\i.hii- IIi4'()\ LS\\tlIt5 sijl,sIaii( al 5i'a-ttilt iii('?I('1 iii:ii'ii'I lii iiiiiiliIIIiIisi,laiiitii'rilc itiil i)ii-t ll('-Tl)i, liii &itistIIIII liii (Xli(it 151'. I i ii a Iii ne I i'1411,, ii'mmi:m f,iiiin:iheal

11aflv iiav:ii a('IIt t'et S.I Ii is is :is4'i LIS1V(' I I Is.' 411 04 'ilIl ii: i'III 'liii :i, Il'Lii mL11. '.&'eri tiiiIa,i5itas I\\0 liijiiili,'iI \i'aisI(l II) (hal)- iiiiiiiii'i'i'ii:1 ll:)Ii iiiiiilmmil:mmiilitil.',l,iI( Iiian s ('1i'l\I 'j()l),. It :III)ios! s'tiiis ilial (Iiiiaiiaii:is hlt.(lIiii 410,11pi'i'ioil:i,c tniI'tmiii' iii a th,l,hc'n- 1)1' 1IiI)lot.(Iii1o, olI lie1i14)l]('iI1 Ial\aI:utliiiAet.. inviliiii, (I:tii,ii:i,n f'lI.I l<'n his oiieiitageiiiii Ui)-I)Iil1.&t!Ig tell tn(lllLd)las iii':ciii1ilII:4iiillii'in'.lii(I1'll5tll((lOil

to I he ea reel he would follow; only the (iegle(' ii:, ;m: li'ii liii I I I yi;i I(IlIst1(11knisjI- ofacliievt'tiit'nt(.4.)Ulli1)t 1)1' fOt('('aSL.Ills (lIji I Ii:il.wiiiiliinihim sImitly with many FfliZli5h-hotfli)U1'flt5 scttleiliiiSeandinavia Iiiiii;ul.iil:itia,iIi(TIIiIitigtill'Umitisli Royal after his fattier, an cx perienee( Isealaici am I Aeadiitiy's 'Ilitimmias SJIIIJ)son, known br ''Sitnp- skilledSilil)i)Uildel,Provided Sweden's Kitte, ii Il iiii'.t'41.iIIilluse today,it concerns ('arolus ix: 1,1 with details of Russian ships l)eiIig mim:il IIiiIi;il.le:iI tiini'iiiiri's tin iieterininingLietS built in England. As a resul'L, riiiit Chapman (lImilel .1,11i'iiijiiiii':i.I ('(live. was invited to join the Swedish Navy. He rose Wltemi imol sluibyimig, (.haprnari vent to sea for in rank quickly, finally becoming cornm:uider VUVagI's:Ln(I v1441le(I shipyards of the Ithyal of the Naval Yard at Gothenhurg.I lel('iii (i'owiiIIIUiitain and mrmi'rehant and naval yards 'vife, the daughter of a London shipbuihlei, iiiII oliarimbaridl'r:tnee. 'I'hrough (liploinatic gave I )iIth to l"ied rik lien ri k ii1721 liteiviiLiii,hit'Was grantel I'iiiissionto rfllt.oLl(rll()Ut his boyhood, FicdtikChapman iii ISI'I'Ve LI I 8-month hii lb Ii ng of a l"rench was traineiI as a shipwiight in his father's yari I. sixty-gtiri ship of the line at lrest. Finally, in As a result of his maternal gtandfather's ijiflu- 1757, at age 16, he ('nileol his seif-im posed ap- enee, he was also able to apprenti('e in English PI'('tl tieeshi1) and began work in eai'nest as a yards despite the wide-spread refusal in 18th- naval architect for the Swedish Navy. century shipbuilding circles to exchange infor- Chapman's firstassignment, which lasted through the 1760s, was to design and build shal- 11 a iuh'n.e, inIeilijen t 'piri/, hi evidei, I hi II, hi portrait of low draft combination oar and sail-driven ships C/ia pntu II 7)0/H/Cd 10/ Loren: I'(INrh. Il hide (Ilull? oi/ intro! in the Finnish archipelago. Misleading inforina- in 1783, C/iapmau. re/i rtd from active ihipbui1diuq hi tion about their operating environment caused 1793to devote more time to proc//ca! experimentson nhip'ii r('i,ijitan,ce us/n fj a (owiuq tizuk. 7'l,e ship modchi these first Chapman-designed ships to be in- were propelled by coo,, icr-ha lintred vs'ujh Is. 'i'/ie xame type different sailers, though they were part ofa or iaiik ii'an,xcd for c.iperinwntbij I/u' U.S. Navy in Swedish fleet that (ievastated a Russian naval the I 930s. i'hujim.rin died in 1808 at. (he aqe of 87. force at Svensksund in 1790. While engaged as a master shipwright for the galley fleet, Chapman began compilinga pic- torial survey of the mid-i8th century's most outstanding merchantships,pleasureand packet boats, ship's small boats, privateers,War- ships, and alternate types of rigging. Rough sketches made (luring his extensive travels through Europe and later (;hsei'vations in Swedish ports weic cnmhini'd, carefullyana- lyzed, ic-drawn and thori(t,('iiO(Iun 62 copper plates'. These plates erieorn passedI 46 (1 iflil'(rit vessels and, together with descriptions, olimen- sions and calculations,formed A rchitectura Naval is Mercatoria published in 1768 in Stock- holm. Because of the dearth of ship (leSigfl in- formation available at the time, Chapman's work immediately elevated him to the front- ,ink of well-known sh ipwrigh ts. The in mu tely .'t.t detaile(l drawings, almost sutlicient for actual construction in an 18th-century shipyard,seem more like works of art today. (See pages 1,6 -.1.7.) But perhaps most important ljp (li-

Svrveyor15 111??)?)lit 1)/(1.4 71)'?)ii ri'ti !H/ 111:111III,.u'/ithioiif, a h(ik-hnatl, and thus con- 1(2 filtH itlit //i,'111.1' ftlti,iutjt, '4I( 1(1)1 h,IV I)U)i'( 1i111 I Ill,, 1ili'.i irt itt'ii iii? u/flit Illill t.,ui(b(l fliP ((II I in /1(11k. iii'Iiitt.u, ti/ne/i (lili/' /trttqvr to 'hutl:ttt,tu'f\V(Ij..tI()iills:uls tuiiilult,,hu;u''t't

btt,iui thu it(lie tiin!-ltuiuh!. % Iii11(11.,:tI itit ust, IT-shu;t'I ill It ls&.i,i,ii,vlii hi,hiti tnt/f 'f n lute .'a'ulj(ltuliu/,unt.n (110111',( /i(i)ltitiHtit'(lO iiruihublq I irtidfhioftin' first three gioups tAnd('(lto he thu/jt'iiIl ilie it e(#t (tilt! uonein hip videi' at the wat,u'iliiie thaii on the main deck sItjthu u!ulimtqun u 1urre Hit!) Iiflll li:tve fun' Iiil('s in the :tftei l)hly 'l'liese live iuitjt,u'iuiti'eli:iiil, shii (:ut('g'()ii('s, ttueIuIlv(hl'fiiue(ll,liiouilutoiustu'ijttion duav- sitnirsoI (l1a)iiiai1S tiiiiiiintl liistoiiansoi to- jugstii(I liuin'iisions,lnc:uuiue '(lI-tC((J)t(_(l (lay is his categorizing of all iiiuicliaiitiiipii 111(1 ln'iicluuiutuku,kiu)\Vn(f(1uu1Liti('S mivliichi to hVegroups, notaecoitling to sail rig, which ojt&,ns (oIuhISi)(t, o'iitioiieILuuul Iiivally puogiess to a In)rnet's nestofconfusion,F) ut Using(Ii itnpioved design. lii addition to known calculit- ences in hull construction: friqaic, flat-sterned Lions and lines,thehook also(lst(l)lishell a where the planking caine to an tnd at the seni I daiice of a tin ilotiii i ty among the confusion counterbeneaththestein's decoration;hag- oflabels for sail hug i'igs anI shiptypes. boa!,planking continuedtoa transverse l)eaJn The years following publicationof Archi- below thetafl'rail; andjnn/c,small round-stern that. flalToWed at the rail. r1h(tse three groups had abeak-headed 1)0w, such as is shown in Ship dra win p from (hajnna n' Arch i t,nct.0 ra Na VU1 Is Me' rcatr ria lii known that. wOk t.udyIrig In Loriliorl bil,wtltnI 7f,O and i 71fl jiii.bliiiu'd 200 yettri (lul. C iii&rnan iarnrin. k hod iii t.ho art.if iiippor ongrii yf rig. Ihut,. It would Bc/out, Pro jectw,i.of a / I hat. hr had piannodliiipubhitittirin ofii rcbiir'rl urn Naoitiir ,i57-dwf bark in !w,,c don',, pinition. Mrrriiioru (iir Sirutturt, of hrMircharit, ShIji) fir riloro luau 12 1)irne,t,sioni: i5()ftlbp. x SRfl e 20ift. years. hf/i'!, E,,11lish b.,'unt I ndiorna a,ftnyc mba',, 'projection. 2. One of the few xhirt,1n2 lirt,). id) .1iiu of% reItifitn urn Nuinlis Mrrt,,r- .1)/meuts ions: J393ft flip. ,r: 3.iftlPjft. iori,i was juit'iIittsetl soiitr2ii years igo forlit' Aruiuritiut iIulrt'iu of iItIiitiii'.0 ihriry. M.iiiiiig t4 x iii, ivilti itriliiiiRl Iitiiiril,i iiuiil I/nt/mn hip/it, Jut Xi, 0-it,'! ho rk fllt'tIiti nfl litit tier tutu, illIi,, rigititil itihillIrlitingruvirtgu art Ml ilililul /27j ft hipi 32'ftu Iu ft. ifli' :tttl vii'sIiiaiiiiiritii. iMtti.tiiit.iirv I,uv.s liii, / itliii,ttt,ter rijhtt. eoniter of / '(Ole X III ore (/tt diiji!uee- i'xtttrim,'Iii hiti,srilriitiiti iii'i:i:itiiiiiiit(WI, lOin. 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