Sail like an ancient mariner on replica Greek warship
For a NATOmember warship, Greece’s Olympias is pretty unusual. It has no carbon footprint, no whale-zapping sonar and an antiquated propulsion system. The 37-metre wooden vessel moored off southern Athens is an experimental reconstruction of the trireme, the sleek ancient Greek warship that halted a Persian invasion of Europe and ruled the Mediterranean for centuries. Every summer, visitors can get a whiff of life in the galleys 2,500 years ago by joining the crew of the Olympias — and work up a sweat rowing it. The long, narrow ships carried two small sails, but propulsion was mostly provided by 170 oarsmen seated in three rows below deck. Lower ranks got to smell the upper ones’ feet. Visitors do all the rowing on the Olympias’ two-hour public trips, conducted near Salamis Island, where in 480 BC outnumbered Athenian triremes vanquished a Persian armada in one of the world’s most famous sea engagements. “I was surprised at how much work it is (to) move forward,” said Swiss visitor Martin Roosli. “I can (hardly) imagine how you can row from one island to the other with this boat.” A small navy contingent under Cmdr. Nikos Polychronakis handles the sails and gives commands and the beat. Originally, a flute player would have provided the rhythm — ancient Greek navies didn’t use whips, and the oarsmen were free citizens. Polychronakis said prospective rowers worry that they’re unfit, too old or lack rowing skills. “None of this is so important,” he said. “We just aim to get people to know the trireme and have fun.” For safety reasons, the 47-tonne replica’s sorties are accompanied by navy speedboats and a firefighting ship. With a top speed of nine knots, it’s armed with a bronze ram that could smash through the thin planking of enemy vessels. No substantial ancient wrecks have been found. “It has great manoeuvrability, can travel in very shallow waters and — for its time — is very fast,” Polychronakis said. Built under plans by British naval architect John Coates in 198587, Olympias carried the flame for the 2004 Athens Olympics and then spent a decade on land. Trips for the public started in 2016. Triremes dominated Mediterranean naval warfare from the fifth century BC and were used until early Christian times. In the fourth century BC, Greek states experimented with progressively bigger galleys with more than one person per oar, but never more than three banks.
It has great manoeuvrability, can travel in very shallow waters and — for its time — is very fast.