Connexions module: m25517 1

A brief history of sea

transportation∗

Siyavula Uploaders

This work is produced by The Connexions Project and licensed under the

Creative Commons Attribution License †

1 HISTORY

2 Grade 4

3 HOW TRANSPORT HAS SERVED MANKIND

4 Module 9

5 A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEA TRANSPORTATION

Ships from Europe have sailed round the southern tip of Africa since before 1500 � do you remember Diazand Da Gama?

In 1652 people from the Netherlands under the leadership of Jan van Riebeeck founded a victuallingstation at the Cape. Dutch sailing ships had large sails that could make excellent use of wind for sailing.

Much development has taken place since that time. Nowadays most large ships are moved by means ofpowerful engines.

∗Version 1.1: Jun 18, 2009 12:09 pm -0500†http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

http://cnx.org/content/m25517/1.1/

Connexions module: m25517 2

5.1 Activity 1

5.2 To �nd the di�erences between the past and the present [LO 2.3]

5.3 a)Can you indicate �ve items that do not match the period shown in the previous sketchby marking them?

Figure 1

5.4 b)Are you able to identify the following ships?

Steamship . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .Fishingboat . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..Passengership . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..Cargo boat. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..

Tugboat . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..Yacht. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..Oiltanker. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .

Table 1

http://cnx.org/content/m25517/1.1/

Connexions module: m25517 3

Figure 2

http://cnx.org/content/m25517/1.1/

Connexions module: m25517 4

5.5 c)The Cape sea route became more and more important after 1652. Why was this?

Figure 3

Ocean routes of the world(The thickness of any line corresponds to the tonnage that is transported.)

5.6 d)Read the wonderful story of a famous sea adventurer.

Refer to an atlas and ask your educator to help you trace Thor Heyerdahl's voyages.Write a letter to a friend telling him or her about the adventures of any other famous pioneer � male or

female � that navigated the seas. What can you learn from this person?

5.7 Thor Heyerdahl

The Norwegian scientist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl was born in Larvik, Norway, on 6 October 1914.He became famous because he undertook a successful sea voyage on a raft, the Kon-Tiki, which made ofbalsa wood. (This is a strong but very light kind of wood.) He and his �ve crewmembers undertook thisvoyage in 1947 and crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Peru to Polynesia in 97 days. The Polynesian islandsare approximately 2 000 km from Peru and lie to the north of New Zeeland. The raft was built like those ofthe ancient Incas and was named after the Polynesian god Tiki. Heyerdahl wanted to prove that the originalinhabitants of Polynesia had come from Peru in South America � not from Asia. He believed that they hadbeen able to undertake such long sea voyages.

The course of his successful voyage was described in his book Kon-Tiki, of which more than 20 millioncopies have been sold. A �lm that was made in 1950 and which tells the story of this epic adventure laterwon an Oscar!

http://cnx.org/content/m25517/1.1/

Connexions module: m25517 5

Figure 4

Heyerdahl gained public attention again on 17 May 1970 when he and a crew of seven completed a voyageacross the Atlantic Ocean in a 12-metre long boat made of papyrus. This boat was called Ra-2 and wasbuilt by Indians from the vicinity of Lake Titicaca in South America where this type of boat is used.

Thor Heyerdahl wanted to prove that the ancient Egyptians had reached the Americas long beforeColumbus, and that they therefore had had a considerable in�uence on the American Indian civilization.Heyerdahl's voyage from Morocco in North Africa to Barbados, an island in the Caribbean Sea (960 kmaway) took about 57 days. Historians did not regard this voyage as important. But Heyerdahl and his crewmade use of the opportunity to take samples of seawater to provide proof of the degree of oil pollution thatwas present in the Atlantic Ocean.

Thor Heyerdahl built a reed boat, the Tigris, with the help of South American Indians from the LakeTiticaca region and completed the distance sailed in the Ra-2 in both directions from 1977 to 1978. Theevidence that he gathered of the increase in the oil pollution of the ocean was so shocking to him that heburnt his boat in protest.

During the 1980s, Thor Heyerdahl became more and more involved with campaigns against pollution.

Figure 5

http://cnx.org/content/m25517/1.1/

Connexions module: m25517 6

6 Assessment

LEARNING OUTCOME 2: HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDINGThelearner will be able to demonstrate historical knowledge and understanding.

6.1 Assessment Standard

We know this when the learner:

• similarity and di�erence: identi�es similarities and di�erences between past and present ways of doingthings in a given context.

7 Memorandum

a) Flying saucer, space shuttle, cable car, motorboat, rowing boat with �ag.b) 1, 3, 8, 6, 5, 7, 4 (2 is a submarine).

c) Centrally situated for di�erent sea-routes � especially for trade.

http://cnx.org/content/m25517/1.1/