So here is something that you don’t hear everyday… the Lenox Project is setting out to build a replica of replica of the Lenox, a state-of-the-art naval ship from 1678 that was built in Deptford and was the first of Charles II’s thirty ships.
The completed vessel will measure 46 meters in length be 12 meters in the beam and have a depth of hold of 5.2 meters.
She will need 2000 oak trees (later generations needed twice this) to build using trees of maturity ranging between 80 and 150 years old and yielding timbers of at least 20 inches (0.5 meters) in diameter.
The hull framing of military vessels also requires curves to be precise and a natural characteristic of the tree (the natural grain profile) needs to follow the curve to maintain strength. (If the ribbing is cut from straight wood the curved shape will cross the grain and weaken the structure).
It will be interesting to see whether using modern protective coatings whether the longevity of the ships can be improved – the Royal Navy estimated that on average their vessels would last only 10-15 years before major refurbishment was required!
The link below takes you to their site.
Posted by
Daniel Jayson