Hi Diana,

A very good source for information is 'The ship' by Bjorn Landstrom. It
seems early cogs were present around 1250, both in Flanders and the
Hanseatic cities. The British Isles were a bit conservative, still relying
on the nef, a direct descendant of the viking knarr. Compared to the cog,
the nef has less draught, very handy in most Eastanglian ports.
As a rule of thumb, the length/width ratio on a cog is 3:1 and the
width/depth ratio is 2:1. Up to the 1930's, the same ratio was used on
'traditional' fishermen's ships in the Netherlands. Nowadays, it's the basis
for many 'traditional' yachts. Interesting to know, in the Kampen area,
there are still two small shipyards that build the 'punter', actually a
miniaturized cog, which has it roots in the late middle ages.
In the late 90's, the 'Kamper kogge' was built overhere. The hull is quite
interesting; the sides are clinker built, yet the bottom is carvel built. We
were quite lucky to have our spring gathering held on and around the Kamper
kogge; some pictures can be found on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lho/ (go
to <photos> and click either <kogge> or <lentegadering>) Most pictures were
taken on board, so there is plenty detail to see (although I have to
apologize for the presence of women aboard a sea-going ship).
Over the past few years, the Kamper kogge has been tested extensively on the
Ysselmeer (the former Zuiderzee) and it shows excellent sailing abilities.
Under full sail, with 4 to 5 Beaufort wind, it logs 8 to 9 knots.
Maybe important for your story, the sail cannot be reefed; instead, the
'basic' sail is rather small and when wind-conditions allow, bonnets are
sewn to it. The Kamper kogge can sport three bonnets. To ease the sewing,
both the sail and the bonnets have eyelets. Although I'm not sure about the
middle ages, in the 16th C it was not uncommon to have the words of a psalm
embroidered above the eyelets, thus making sure that sail and bonnet would
match.

Regards,

Roel

----- Original Message -----
From: Diana Cosby <wulfe6@...>
To: <75years@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 1:06 AM
Subject: [75years] Verifying my research is correct on ship type


> I'm trying to verify that my research is correct on what type of
> 'cargo' ship would have been used in the year 1296.
> In my story, one of my characters is hauling goods from Scotland to
> Europe. After research, I've found that it's more than reasonable to
> use an early cog. The ship in question can be seen at:
> http://www.abc.se/~m10354/mar/cog.htm
> I realize that clinker type ships were still used, but I was looking
> for a ship with a deck, as that of the early cog. Any comments on this
> or if anyone has more detailed pictures or can recommend a site/book of
> a cog during this time period with a deck, I would sincerely appreciate
> it. Thank you for your time.
> Sincerely,
> Diana Cosby
> --
> wulfe6@...
> http://members.cox.net/wulfe6/
> "Do the thing you are afraid to do and the death of fear is certain."
> Ralph Waldo Emerson
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