Results Details

The major questions involve the number and size of oars that can be practically mounted, balanced against the size of ship required for the differing arrangements. - (Raiders of Gor, Chapter 14, Sentence #54)

The thole ports in a given group of three are about ten inches apart and the groups themselves, center to center, are a bit less than four feet apart. The Dorna carried twenty groups of three to a side, and so used one hundred and twenty oarsmen. From this account it may perhaps be conjectured why the oar power of a single-banked ram-ship is often comparable or superior to that of a doubly- or trebly-banked ship. The major questions involve the number and size of oars that can be practically mounted, balanced against the size of ship required for the differing arrangements. The use of the extended rowing frame, permitting the leverage necessary for the great oars, and the seating of several oarsmen, each with his own oar, on a given bench, conserving space, are important in this regard. If we suppose a trebly-banked ship with one hundred and twenty oarsmen, say, in three banks of twenty each to a side, I think we can see she would have to be a rather large ship, and a good deal heavier than the single-decked, three-men-to-a-bench type, also with one hundred and twenty oarsmen. She would thus, also, be slower. - (Raiders of Gor)