In Search of Unique Iberian Ship Design Concepts

Abstract

Defining 15th- and 16th-century Iberian shipbuilding traditions related to European expansion overseas is a difficult task. Scarce documentary evidence and the systematic destruction of Spanish and Portuguese shipwrecks by those with a purely monetary agenda make the task even more complex. In spite of these obstacles, data suggests that a distinctive shipbuilding tradition existed on the Iberian Peninsula. Through careful mining of the documentary and archaeological evidence, the concepts behind Iberian ship design can be articulated as well as compared and contrasted to other European shipbuilding traditions.