Chaika (boat)
Encyclopedia
A chaika was a wooden boat with a mast
and sail
, a type of Galley, used by the:
or oars. Between 30 to 50 men were in service, commanded by an officer, with an NCO helmsman, an armourer, a drummer, two bowsmen, and up to 36 oarsmen.
, with sides built out of wooden planks. To protect the boat from enemy guns or from sinking, reed
bales were tied to the gunwale
s of the boat.
Chaikas also had two helms, so that the boat never needed turning around in order to switch direction. One such boat could carry around 50 to 60 men and up to 6 falconets
(small cannon).
A similar, but larger boat used by the Zaporozhian Cossacks for both transport and warfare was called a baidak
.
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
and sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
, a type of Galley, used by the:
- Zaporozhian Cossacks in the 16th–17th centuries in UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
on the Dnipro RiverDnieper RiverThe Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
and the Black SeaBlack SeaThe Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. - SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
in VojvodinaVojvodinaVojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
in the 16th-19th centuries on the DanubeDanubeThe Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
(ŠajkašiŠajkašiŠajkaši were the river troops guarding the Danube and Sava, and especially, the Port of Belgrade, against the Ottoman Empire from the 16th to the 19th century. At the time, the rivers were borders of the Kingdom of Hungary and Habsburg Empire with the Ottoman Empire. They had special military...
) under Kingdom of HungaryKingdom of HungaryThe Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, Austrian EmpireAustrian EmpireThe Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
and Habsburgs.
Austrian
Tschaika were either 24 (Ganz Tschaika) or 12 metres (Halb Tschaika) in length, operated by sailSail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
or oars. Between 30 to 50 men were in service, commanded by an officer, with an NCO helmsman, an armourer, a drummer, two bowsmen, and up to 36 oarsmen.
Ukrainian
Chaikas were between 18 to 20 metres in length, 3 to 3.5 metres in width, and 3.5 to 4 metres in depth. The bottom of a chaika was carved out of a single tree trunkTrunk (botany)
In botany, trunk refers to the main wooden axis of a tree that supports the branches and is supported by and directly attached to the roots. The trunk is covered by the bark, which is an important diagnostic feature in tree identification, and which often differs markedly from the bottom of the...
, with sides built out of wooden planks. To protect the boat from enemy guns or from sinking, reed
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
bales were tied to the gunwale
Gunwale
The gunwale is a nautical term describing the top edge of the side of a boat.Wale is the same word as the skin injury, a wheal, which, too, forms a ridge. Originally the gunwale was the "Gun ridge" on a sailing warship. This represented the strengthening wale or structural band added to the design...
s of the boat.
Chaikas also had two helms, so that the boat never needed turning around in order to switch direction. One such boat could carry around 50 to 60 men and up to 6 falconets
Falconet (cannon)
The falconet or falcon was a light cannon developed in the late 15th century. During the Middle Ages guns were decorated with engravings of reptiles, birds or beasts depending on their size. For example, a culverin would often feature snakes, as the handles on the early cannons were often decorated...
(small cannon).
A similar, but larger boat used by the Zaporozhian Cossacks for both transport and warfare was called a baidak
Baidak
Baidak was a wooden sailing ship, similar to a cog. It had a flush-laid flat bottom approximately 3–4 metres wide, which narrowed to tapered ends, and one 5 metre mast. Measuring approximately 15–20 meters in length, a baidak could carry a load of approximately 200 tons...
.