 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Greece | |
| Name | Olympias |
| Owner | Hellenic Navy |
| Ordered | 1985 |
| Laid down | July 27, 1987 |
| Launched | August 1987 |
| Commissioned | August 26, 1987 |
| Homeport | Palaio Faliro37°56.057′N23°41.11′E / 37.934283°N 23.68517°E /37.934283; 23.68517 |
| Status | serves as exhibit in dry dock and used in events |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Trireme |
| Displacement | 47 tonnes |
| Length | 36.9 m (121 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in) |
| Draught | 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Troops | 14 (10 Hoplites + 4 Archers) |
| Complement | 200 including 5 officers (in antiquity) |
| Armament | Bronze bow ram, ten spears, four archers |
Olympias is a reconstruction of an ancient Atheniantrireme and an important example ofexperimental archaeology. It is also acommissioned ship in theHellenic Navy of Greece, the only commissioned vessel of its kind in any of the world's navies.
Olympias was constructed from 1985 to 1987 by a shipbuilder inPiraeus. She was built to drawings by the naval architectJohn Coates which he developed through long discussions with the historianJohn Morrison following the longest correspondence on any subject inThe Times in the early 1980s. The work was also advised by the classics teacherCharles Willink and drew on evidence gained from Greek literature, history of art and archaeology above and below water. Finance came from the Hellenic Navy and donors such asFrank Welsh (a banker, writer and trireme enthusiast). Morrison, Coates and Willink founded the Trireme Trust together with Welsh. The Trireme Trust was chaired by ProfessorBoris Rankov; it was wound up in 2018 and its documents archived atWolfson College, Cambridge.[1]
Thebronze bowram weighs 200 kg. It is a copy of an original ram now in theArchaeological Museum of Piraeus. The ship was built fromDouglas fir with tenons of Virginiaoak. The keel is ofiroko hardwood.
The importanthypozomata (bracing ropes) had to be replaced by a steel rope because no natural fibre or synthetic fibre ropes with about the sameelastic modulus ashemp could be obtained for economic reasons. The steel cables' tension varied as thehull bent on the waves, rather than exerting constant tension like a natural fibre rope. This caused the alarming possibility of the rope breaking and endangering the crew, so protective measures had to be taken.[2]
She underwentsea trials in 1987, 1990, 1992 and 1994, but one of the most informative was a 1987 exercise crewed by 170 volunteer oarsmen and oarswomen.Olympias achieved a speed of 9 knots (17 km/h) and was able to perform 180 degree turns within one minute, in an arc no wider than two and a half (2.5) ship-lengths. These results, achieved with an inexperienced, mixed crew, suggest that ancient historians likeThucydides were not exaggerating about the capabilities of triremes.
Olympias was transported to Britain in 1993, to take part in events celebrating the 2,500 years since the beginning ofdemocracy. In 2004 she was used to transport theOlympic Flame ceremonially from the port ofKeratsini to the mainport of Piraeus, as theOlympic torch relay approachedAthens for the2004 Summer Olympics.
Olympias is now an exhibit in a dry dock at theNaval Tradition Park inPalaio Faliro, Athens.
In the years 2016 to 2018, a number of trips in theSaronic Gulf were organized, with amateur rowers and passengers.[3][4]
The trireme was a fast attack, light displacement vessel. In order to sustain the bending moments of her considerable length, tightened ropes (hypozomata) were mounted beneath the deck spanning from bow to stern. This was an ingenious way to increase rigidity of the hull. Today in modern construction it is calledpre-tensioning. After every trip the triremes were pulled ashore in special slides and the hypozomata were re-tightened.
The trireme hulls were constructed from planks with closely spaced and peggedmortise and tenon joints. When these are fitted carefully the hull can carryshear stresses well and stay watertight.
It was estimated that her ramming speed should have been in excess of 16 knots (30 km/h), something the present reconstruction could not achieve, possibly because it was overweight.[citation needed]
A trireme of the classical period would have had a crew of 200, including five officers. This would be made up of:
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37°56′3.3″N23°41′7.14″E / 37.934250°N 23.6853167°E /37.934250; 23.6853167
