Teak (<i>Tectona grandis</i> L.F.):A Preferred Timber for Shipbuilding in India as Evidenced from Shipwrecks

Abstract

One of the greatest achievements of man is the design and development of a variety of watercraft suitable for marine and riverine purposes and safer for the environment. From ancient times, timber was the main component for the construction of these crafts, until it was replaced by iron/steel. As the size of the vessels increased to accommodate more cargo and overseas trade became more frequent, superior quality timber was used in the construction of vessels. Among the timbers used, teak was mostly preferred for building boats and ships. Many ships have been explored and excavated, and the timber used has been identified, but a detailed microstructural analysis has not been presented. The Cara Merchant or Quedagh Merchant ship, built in Surat, Gujarat, India was pirated by Captain Kidd, and subsequently wrecked off the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic in 1699. Indiana University, USA, carried out exploration to locate Cara Merchant. This communication presents a comparative study of the anatomical analysis of the microstructure of a wood sample with the wood from the wrecked Cara Merchant. This study is an attempt to support the use of teak in boat and shipbuilding as mentioned in the literature.Keywords: Scanning electron microscope, shipbuilding, shipwreck, teak, wood anatomy.INDIA has contributed significantly to world culture in the field of science, technology, culture and philosophy. One of the greatest achievements of man was the invention of watercraft made of reeds, logs and skins, which were used from prehistoric times. A variety of traditional watercraft were designed and developed according to the topography and nature of the seabed of the region; locally available suitable timber was used for both inland and sea craft. Over a period of time, many changes were noticed in the boat and shipbuilding techniques, and wood became the most widely accepted material for hull construction. This practice continued until the last century when timber was partly replaced by iron/steel and fibre/composite materials.From ancient times, timber has been one of the most valuable and versatile raw materials playing a vital role in the economic and industrial development of a nation. Each type of timber has its own distinctive features depending on whether it belongs to the hardwood or softwood group. Different wood species also differ considerably in their anatomical structure and show a remarkably wide range of variations in physical and mechanical properties such as colour, texture, grain, density, strength, stiffness, hardness, etc.

Biological Rotation Age of Community Teak (Tectona grandis) Plantation Based on the Volume, Biomass, and Price Growth Curve Determined through the Analysis of Its Tree Ring Digitization

“…Teak has been harvested for centuries to produce high-quality, durable, and fancy decorative timber as a raw material for art and jewelry [68], handicraft and wood carving [69,70], carpentry [71], traditional household items [72], furniture [73][74][75][76][77][78][79], architectural buildings and construction [80][81][82], and shipbuilding [83] because of its inherent natural desirable characteristics (i.e., lightweight but high strength and hardness, dimensional stability, natural durability, straight grain and easily woodworking, and beautiful artistic appearance). Teak is a tree species that produces one of the most valuable premium timbers all around the globe.…”

Technological properties of woods used in boat’s production in the Southeast of Pará, Brazil

“…According to Sen et al (2009) and Muller 2010 the presence of several different natural substances such as resinous materials, gummy depositions, oils, alkaloids, silica, etc. Recently, the anatomical analyses of shipwrecks found in the west central coast of India, have indicated that the wood of "teca" (Tectona grandis L.f.) has been largely used by Indians and others shipbuilders, mainly due to specifical timber properties, such as moderate basic density, high mechanical resistance, high dimensional stability and few defects during drying wood; to contain silica and resinous oils, conferring resistance to the attack by marine xylophages like "turu" (Teredo navalis) and also because it has high resistance to decomposition in terrestrial conditions (Tripati et al 2005(Tripati et al , 2016a(Tripati et al , 2016b. Maineri & Chimelo (1989) the woods of C. villosum and A. leiocarpa, used more frequently on the se regional boats, have good resistance to attacks by xylophages' organisms, being preferably indicated for naval construction, mainly for structural parts of the boats that are in contact with water, thus being more susceptible to attack by aquatic xylophages.…”

Buddhist Teak and British Rifles: Religious Economics in Burma's Last Kingdom

“…5 Teak has long been a preferred wood for shipbuilding in India. For more on teak timber in Indian ships, see "Use of Timber in Shipbuilding Industry" (Tripati, Sujatha, Rao, and Satyanarayana Rao 2005). desire for overseas political and economic exploits was already depleting oak forests.…”