Abstract
Building and sailing replica ships is not an uncommon phenomenon. Often, the replica is built to prove that a certain ship type could have crossed a particular body of water, to make a cameo appearance at a tall ships’ rendezvous, or to commemorate the anniversary of an historic voyage. Some replicas have been more authentic than others, but the voyages themselves seldom strive to achieve authenticity. Given the enormous investment the builder has in his replica, it is not surprising that he usually considers the project a success if the vessel completes its maiden voyage safely. Testing the replica’s seaworthiness in a variety of sea conditions and using the information obtained to fine-tune or improve the ship are seldom seriously considered. This paper presents a case for replicating a voyage of discovery and proposes a solution to the vexing problem of what to with the replica once the experiments are over.
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Simmons, J.J. Replicating a voyage of discovery. Hist Arch 26, 27–33 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374511
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03374511