The ships which carried a larger number of sails were normally square rigged, built with more than one deck. It is a recorded fact that Pushyadeva, the ruler of Sindh pushed back the formidable Arab navy attacks in 756 AD which only indicated his marine prowess. The historical text Yukti Kalpataru (11th century AD) deals with shipbuilding and gives details of various types of ships. Boats used for different purposes were called by different names such as Samanya, Madhyawa, Visesha for passenger service, cargo, fishing and ferrying over the river.
The ships so constructed rode the sea well, withstood the high swell during cyclones and could sail almost as fast as the wind blew. The distinctive feature of all these vessels was the high prow and stern. This facilitated carrying the forward anchor well above the waterline, and the helmsman aft could sit at a commanding height, affording better visibility. More importantly, such a construction restricted shipping of sea waters on board due to pitching in high swell. The Monarchs who owned the vessels, had their motifs carved on the sides of the stern, such as peacock, lion, swan etc. Thus entered artistry in shipbuilding too.
The Hindu Period – (1175 AD to 1572 AD)
The Hindu Kingdom since the days of Mauryans, had built ships at Calicut, Cochin, Kaveripattinam, Masulipatnam and Calcutta. There were two types of ships built; the “Monoxylon” and the “Colandiophonta”. The “Monoxylon”, as the name implies was cut out of a single log, and in order to accommodate about 100 to 150 persons, it was raised with planks athwart in tiers. The “Monoxylon’ were used in coastal traffic and these were referred to in the Periplus of the Erithroem Sea as “Sangara.” The ‘Colandiophonta’, however were ocean-going ships and were proportionately large and sturdy being of more than 1000 tons.
The Medieval Period – (1378 to 1797 AD)
Indians of the Medieval period did not particularly build very large ships, like the Chinese Junks, because such ships could not enter small ports and estuaries studded around India, nor could they negotiate the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
It was during the Medieval period that a number of Indian Vessels were constructed, for the first time, purely for war at sea. Facilities for launching catapults and incendiary throwers, however, existed even earlier on board Indian ship.
The size of the Indian Ship was, however, larger than the European vessels of the contemporary period. During the Muslim period ( 1000 to 1700 AD ), the Seafaring Arabs entered the Indian Maritime Scene. They came as merchants in their Dhows from 11th century onwards in substantial numbers and effectively edged out the Hindus from shipping trade by about 16th century.
Through Arab patronage, shipbuilding yards thrived on the Malabar Coast at Broach, Surat and at Maldive islands, and were noted for their high quality vessels. Akbar had an Imperial Navy. The Moghul Navy was based at Dacca. It was by no means a high seas fleet, but was a fleet of large boats. There was a medley of river craft built in the boat building yards at Hoogly, Balasur, Murangu, Chilmam, Jessore and Karibari.
It was during the Medieval period that a number of Indian Vessels were constructed, for the first time, purely for war at sea. Facilities for launching catapults and incendiary throwers, however, existed even earlier on board Indian ship. A Muslim ruler from Honavur launched in 1377 AD, a seaborne attack on Sandpur (Goa) with a war fleet of 52 vessels, including two landing craft which opened their sterns to launch soldiers on horse back, directly galloping from the boat on to the enemy’s shore. This was perhaps the first recorded incident in the Indian Maritime History where landing craft was used for assault.
With the coming of the Portuguese in 1498, building of warships in India underwent a change when guns were mounted on board. The practice was first adopted by the Zamorin of Calicut emulating the Portuguese ships. The malabar vessels started using sails made of cotton and anchors made of marble. The Portuguese started building their ships in Goa and Daman with Indian artisans under their employ, using indigenous materials.
The Marathas too gave impetus to the Indian shipbuilding industry. In the 17th century, the Maratha’s shipbuilding yards were developed at Vijaydurg, Swarndurg and Kolaba, where those famous grabs and gallivats were constructed. These boats were noted for their maneuverability in restricted waters and superb sailing qualities.
One of the oldest designs in ship construction was the Baghalah, which traversed in Gujarat Coast. Since the days of Alexander’s invasion, the Baghalah had retained its main features; overall length of 74 feet by 25 feet at its breadth, of 150 tons weight with holds as deep as 11 feet. The stern was almost perpendicular. The only modernisation that came about was the mounting of two guns at the stern, which was well rounded to give a large arc of fire. As for Baghalah’s durability, the Deria Doulut lasted 87 years from 1750 to 1837, more than what could be said of the life of present day ships !
Thus we see that there had been a long shipbuilding heritage even before the British entered the scene.
Sail to Steam
The industrial revolution, however, brought in its wake a number of changes in ship construction. The advent of the paddle steamers relegated India’s shipbuilding techniques based on sail propulsion. In 1836, screw propeller was invented. The Assaye and the Punjaub were first built as sailing ships in India in 1854/1856. Their sailing qualities were superb. The British converted both ships as paddle wheel steamers and then into screw propelled ships. By this time the Europeans were overtaking the Indians in shipbuilding.
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