From dugout canoes to supertankers — humans have been conquering the sea one vessel at a time.
Human beings haven't always known how to swim. It's a learned ability, and not one that comes automatically with being a human. In prehistoric times it was easier to hop on a floating log than to risk swimming the current. The first powered boats were logs that people maneuvered by hand or with a stick. We've come a long way from these crude canoes to the container ships, hovercraft, and jet skis of today.
Two vessels still in use today are examples of simple, well-designed paddled boats.
The nineteenth century brought the transition from sail to steam. For a while many ships were a curious mix of both. Sails were used on early paddle wheelers because their engines weren't reliable. Funnels were angled to keep sparks away from the sails. When the first paddle steamer was sighted off the coast of Ireland after an Atlantic crossing in 1819, people thought it was on fire! Sails became smaller as engines improved, then gradually disappeared as the switch was made from paddle to propeller.
In the early days of the steam-powered ocean liners, the rich and the poor traveled under very different conditions.
Container ships and supertankers often have engines that are a thousand times more powerful than an automobile engine. These huge vessels may measure more than 457 m (1,500 ft) in length and require several miles to turn or stop!
There are many kinds of speedboats designed for cruising, skiing, and racing.
Cities at sea — Many ships today are so large that they contain all the amenities of a small town, including swimming pools, stores, gambling casinos, exercise facilities, and entertainment stages, as well as places for thousands of people to sleep and eat. Aircraft carriers are not only cities at sea, but also airports at sea, complete with elevators, storage hangars, and runways. The wings of the fighter aircraft fold up for easy onboard storage.
Source: Microsoft Oceans (1995) CD-ROM. Text liberated from original screen art; images, audio & clips restored from disc. Original media is Microsoft/supplier copyright — non-commercial educational preservation. Credits & Acknowledgements