What supplies were needed on 15th-17th century trade ships?


medical supplies
Cece asked:


I’m trying to learn more about the history of exploration and I want to know about food, water, and medical supplies

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “What supplies were needed on 15th-17th century trade ships?”

  1. redunicorn Says:
    September 21st, 2009 at 11:45 am

    redunicornsalt pork
    hardtack (very hard biscuits)
    Water
    rum
    dried beans
    rice

    “All three vessels sailed heavily laden with supplies for a year; food would have been salt meat (mainly pork), salt fish, hard biscuit (seasoned but not old, specified Columbus), chick peas, olive oil, flour salted at the time of milling, and lentils. Fish caught on the outward trip was a pleasant addition, on the return an absolute necessity.”

    “The master and crew of the Pinta and Niña all slept on deck, the hold being full. Cooking, mainly stews and soups, was done by the ship’s boy on a ‘fogon’, an iron tray with iron windbreak using charcoal near the lee rail. There was no oven, and food was eaten from the lap.”

    How fast could they sail? As with all vessels powered by

  2. sfguybryan Says:
    September 23rd, 2009 at 9:00 pm

    sfguybryanExplorers during the 15h -17th centuries usually had to travel with one or two other supply ships when leaving on expeditions. If the ship wasn’t very large or had a very large crew then additional ships were needed for cargo and/or supplies. They were limited to space, so every bit of a ship’s space was considered precious. They had to include everything from fresh water and food to cramped living quarters for the deck hands and crew. They also had to be prepared for attacks by other unfriendly ships and pirates. Most were equipped with cannons and small armies prepared for battle at a moment’s notice.

    The larger the ship, the more it was able to provide for all those aboard. Once they left port, they expected to not see land for sometimes months at a time. So, everything they thought they might need during those months at sea, they had to include in their list of items that must be on the ship once it left dock.

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