Talk:Shipbuilding

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents 1 Advanced Prehistoric Ships 1.1 1. Trees for Ancient Ships 1.2 2. Seafaring is far older than we have all been led to believe. 1.3 3. But where did all the ancient ships go? 1.4 4. But History clearly shows us that any successful conqueror would likely have behaved as this. 2 Prejudiced opinion about the success of Korean ship builders 3 Modern shipbuilding

[edit] Advanced Prehistoric Ships

[edit] 1. Trees for Ancient Ships

The lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea in southern Europe, north Africa, and western Asia are home to the Mediterranean basin ecoregions, which together constitute world's largest and most diverse mediterranean climate region of the world, with generally mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The Mediterranean basin's mosaic of Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub are home to 13,000 endemic species. The Mediterranean basin is also one of the world's most endangered biogeographic regions; only 4% of the region's original vegetation remains, and human activities, including overgrazing, deforestation, and conversion of lands for pasture, agriculture, or urbanization, have degraded much of the region. Formerly the region was mostly covered with forests and woodlands, but heavy human use has reduced much of the region to the sclerophyll shrublands. See Palearctic.

While the earliest example of deforestation is unclear (i.e., origin of the Sahara Desert. See deforestation), it is an established fact that man-made desertification often arises from the demands of increased populations that settle on the land in order to grow crops and graze animals. See Desertification.

Morocco bears evidence of Southwest Iberian Mediterranean sclerophyllous and mixed forests, Mediterranean acacia-argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets, Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe, Mediterranean woodlands and forests, North Saharan steppe and woodlands. Western Sahara also is home to North Saharan steppe and woodlands. And Algeria and Tunisia are also home to Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe, and Mediterranean woodlands and forests. Although all but Morocco bear evidence of Saharan halophytics (flooded grasslands and savannas). See Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub and Flooded grasslands and savannas.

However, perhaps the most notable would be the Mediterranean conifer and mixed forest regions that may be found in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. See Temperate coniferous forests.

Apparently, the Sahara was a perfectly bountiful region in prehistory for shipbuilding. Humans have lived here for almost 500,000 years. During the last Ice Age, the Sahara was a much wetter place, much like East Africa, than it is today. Crocodiles and other river animals once swam above the sandy dunes. Fossils of dinosaurs have also been found here. But it all dried up in 3000 BC ... probably not only because of subtle climatic changes but also because of ancient deforestation by those ancient indigenous peoples who just didn't know any better.

[edit] 2. Seafaring is far older than we have all been led to believe.

Reading Lothal makes this plain ... clearly.

An ancient society of the Indus Valley Civilization that not only engages in Dentistry as early as 3300 BC but also seafaring and dredging canals in the same time period speaks to us loudly over the millenia ... telling us that someone ... somewhere conquered and eliminated great civilizations over the grand course of Ancient Human History and took their great technological advances from them.

Ancient Egypt is another such example. (Perhaps others too disappeared without a trace? But we'll never know for certain.)

Motor and Engine Technology is Older than this Timeline Indicates may be appropriate to consult here.

[edit] 3. But where did all the ancient ships go?

Reading Irish news headlines from leading Irish newspapers, one wonders why so m-m-a-a-a-n-n-n-n-y-y-y-y-y ancient ships -- twelve thousand, 12000, of them! -- all sank and piled up in one oceanic location ... and why would they all rest off the coast of Ireland??

Reading Raceandhistory.com, one wonders even more.

Reading Slavery and recalling the extreme hate of all our ancestors toward others of different colors and/or beliefs throughout all of Human History -- prehistoric, ancient, medieval, colonial -- one recognizes what a successful ancient conqueror (yes, the Romans) might have conspired to do. See Military history of the Roman Empire and Roman Empire.

[edit] 4. But History clearly shows us that any successful conqueror would likely have behaved as this.

It just so happens that they were Roman.

-- Roylee

[edit] Prejudiced opinion about the success of Korean ship builders

I think it is entirely ridiculous to attribute the success of Korean ship builders to the state subsidies. Korean ship yards have labour cost advantages as well as advanced technologies as demonstrated by LNG ships. I will change this part of the article unless someone engages in discussion soon about this.

Correct, but they have respectable production methods, in addition. LNG ships is not the only case. They have been demonstrating outstanding production techniques for at least 20 years.

[edit] Modern shipbuilding

Q: How can anyone design anything with a basin? Is it comfortable? Should I try?