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source(here("scripts/load-voyages.R"))Introduction
Two hundred and fifty years ago sailings ships were the engines of colonization and commerce. Where did they sail? How far and how long? We can gain some insight by making use of the Climatological Database for the World’s Oceans (CLIWOC), which includes 287K observations from the logbooks of 946 ships from 8 countries, (mostly British, Dutch, French, and Spanish) that made 4919 journeys. The digitized records are mostly from journeys between 1750 and 1815. These journeys during this portion of the Age of Sail influenced and sometimes were directly motivated by these historical events:
- Seven years war (1756-1763) which included the French and Indian War in North America
- American War of Independence, French Revolution and resulting French Revolutionary Wars, and others wars of independence in the Americas, including Haiti and the Spanish American colonies (the latter continued beyond 1815 in many colonial lands)
- Voyages of exploration, including James Cook and La Boussole
- Battle of Waterloo and Congress of Vienna, bringing to end the Napoleonic Wars
- The waxing preeminence of the British on the world’s seas.
This data set only hints at the human drama: the strict and sometimes shockingly excessive punishment, the high mortality rate, the deprivations, and the near-unimaginable sufferings inherent in the slave trade. Or the triumphs of winning a hard-fought, costly battle, capturing an enemy ship, and, through many perils, bringing a fortune into one’s home port. Historical fiction brings this period to life. I recommend Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey and Maturin series starting with Master and Commander. Or start with the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which includes events from a number of the books.