Adler von Lübeck
Encyclopedia
The Adler von Lübeck (German
for Eagle of Lübeck), also called Der Große Adler or Lübscher Adler, was a 16th century warship of the Hanseatic city
of Lübeck
, Germany
. The Adler was one of the largest ships in the world at its time, being 78.30 m long overall and displacing 2–3,000 tons.
The war galleon
was built by Lübeck during the Northern Seven Years' War
to escort her convoy of merchant ships in the Baltic
and North Sea
. However, the Adler was never put into action, since Lübeck had already entered peace negotiations with Sweden at the time of the ship's completion. After the Treaty of Stettin
(1570), the Große Adler was converted into a freighter for trade with the Iberian peninsula
. The ship was dismantled in 1588 after twenty years of service.
The gun arrangements of the ship have been preserved in the artillery manual of the artillery master Hans Frese.
Articles & monographs
Modern model ships
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for Eagle of Lübeck), also called Der Große Adler or Lübscher Adler, was a 16th century warship of the Hanseatic city
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
of Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The Adler was one of the largest ships in the world at its time, being 78.30 m long overall and displacing 2–3,000 tons.
The war galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
was built by Lübeck during the Northern Seven Years' War
Northern Seven Years' War
The Northern Seven Years' War was the war between Kingdom of Sweden and a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Lübeck and the Polish–Lithuanian union, fought between 1563 and 1570...
to escort her convoy of merchant ships in the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. However, the Adler was never put into action, since Lübeck had already entered peace negotiations with Sweden at the time of the ship's completion. After the Treaty of Stettin
Treaty of Stettin
The Treaty of Stettin of December 13, 1570, ended the Northern Seven Years' War fought between Sweden and Denmark with her internally fragmented alliance of Lübeck and Poland. It also settled Swedish, Danish and Holy Roman Imperial claims regarding the Livonian War. Unfavourable for Sweden, it...
(1570), the Große Adler was converted into a freighter for trade with the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. The ship was dismantled in 1588 after twenty years of service.
Dimensions
The Lübeck chronicler Peter van der Horst - relying on the building contract of the ship - gave the following dimensions of the Adler von Lübeck:- Length of head knee: 10.45 m (18 ellEllAn ell , is a unit of measurement, approximating the length of a man's arm.Several national forms existed, with different lengths, includingthe Scottish ell ,the Flemish ell ,the French ell...
s) - Length of keel: 36 m (62 ells)
- Length from stern post to stern post: 49 m (85 ells)
- Length from head knee to stern gallery: 64 m (111 ells)
- Length overall: 78.30 m
- Clear beam inboards: 13.84 m (24 ells)
- Beam inboards: 13.84 m (48 ft)
- Beam: 14.50 m
- Height overall: 62.15 m
The gun arrangements of the ship have been preserved in the artillery manual of the artillery master Hans Frese.
Further reading
In chronological orderArticles & monographs
- Van der Horst(e), Peter (1676): "Beschreibung von der Kunst der Schiffahrt – Zum andernmahl auffgeleget und mit einem Anhang vermehret, worin beschrieben wird der Anfang und Fortgang der Schiffahrt", 2nd. ed., Schmalhertzens Erven, Lübeck (PDF)
- Pâris, Charles François-Edmond (1882-1892): "Le Musée de Marine du Louvre", Paris
- Pâris, Charles François-Edmond (1962): "Souvenirs de Marine", Partie 1-5, Hinstorff, Rostock [Reprint]
- Nance, Robert Morton & Anderson, Roger C. (1912): "A Sixteenth Century Ship of Lübeck", The Mariner's Mirror, pp. 152-153
- Arenhold, Lüder, (1913): "The Adler of Lübeck", The Mariner's Mirror, pp. 152-153
- Anderson, Roger C. (1913): "Guns of Adler of Lübeck", The Mariner's Mirror, pp. 153, 222, 250, 285 & 345
- Kloth, Herbert: "Lübecks Seekriegswesen in der Zeit des nordischen 7-jährigen Krieges 1563-1570", Zeitschrift des Vereines für lübeckische Geschichte und Altertumskunde, Vol. 21 (1923), pp. 1-51 & 185-256 plus Vol. 22 (1923-25), pp. 121-152 & 325-379 Details on a number of details on construction, rigging, equipment and crew of the Adler von Lübeck are scattered throughout the article
- Anderson, Roger C. (1939): "The Mars and the Adler", The Mariner's Mirror, pp. 296-299 [+plates]
- Reinhardt, Karl (1943): "Der Adler von Lübeck", Die Seekiste - Schiffsmodellbau, Berlin, Iss. 12
- Pietsch, Ulrich (1982): "Die Lübecker Seeschiffahrt vom Mittelalter bis zur Neuzeit", Catalogue of the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte der Hansestadt Lübeck, Lübeck ISBN 3-9800517-1-4
- Kirsch, Peter (1988): "Die Galeonen. Große Segelschiffe um 1600", Bernard & Gräfe Verlag, Koblenz, p. 67
Modern model ships
- Reinhardt, Karl (1938): "Adler von Lübeck", Zeitschrift des Vereines für lübeckische Geschichte und Altertumskunde, Vol. 29, Iss. 2, pp. 293-332
- Marquardt, Karl Heinz (ca. 1965): "Adler von Lübeck AD 1565", 35 pp., 4 drawings Ship model of the Graupner company
- Aarhuus, Norbert (1982): "Adler von Lübeck", Modellbauwerft, Verlag für Technik und Handwerk, Baden-Baden, Iss. 6, pp. 496-500 Article on the Graupner model
- Author unknown (1984): "Adler von Lübeck. MBH-Miniplan 67", Modellbau-Heute (MBH), Militärverlag der DDR, Berlin, Iss. 7, p.16
- Author unknown (1994): "Adler von Lübeck", Modellbauwerft, Verlag für Technik und Handwerk, Baden-Baden, Iss. 8, p.27
See also
- List of world's largest wooden ships
- Glossary of nautical termsGlossary of nautical termsThis is a glossary of nautical terms; some remain current, many date from the 17th-19th century. See also Wiktionary's nautical terms, :Category:Nautical terms, and Nautical metaphors in English.- A :...
- List of ships of the Hanseatic League