Best Seafaring culture of all times?

[Jay Bee]

Originally posted by Caligastia

Abel Tasman was the first european to discover New Zealand and Australia - he was Dutch.

Cali:

http://www.internetezy.com.au/~mj129/strangephenomenon.html

[faded glory]

Vikings, hands down. The saw, they conquered......from england to all over. Plus they left dozens of settlements on Icebergs in the atlantic.

[Saint Marcus]

I'd def chose the dutch.

biggest ship-based trading power in the age of reason. still having the biggest seaport today.

in the past, they sailed all over the globe, discovering new lands and establising colonies, from New York to Cape Town to Batavia (Jakarta), and even to Japan (only western power to have had a colony in Japan).

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus
biggest ship-based trading power in the age of reason. still having the biggest seaport today.

Ah yes, Rotterdam Europoort. I've been on a ferry there from Hull (we're another big port just a short hop across the North Sea ) and it is massive, it took the ferry forever to get from one end of it to the passenger terminal, must be many kilometres across, perhaps even tens of kilometres...

[Juggler]

Vikings, hands down.

I agree - the Vikings. And they weren't active only on the Atlantic (trading with Byzantium, Baghdad, Russia etc.). Warfare and trade (particularly later on) were very important for them.

[Bereta_Eder]

The dutch should definitely be in. Even in Colonization they had a naval trading bonus (actually it was better price market stability).

They had a huge trading empire based on the ships

[TCO]

USA! USA!

Check out the avatar!! Take a mark48 up ya butt, mutha fukka!! [/Derek mode]

In seriousness, the USA navy has the best tradition and capability in damage control. We saved ships that others would have lost recently, Belknap, Stark, etc. And we would have saved some in the Falklands that sank.

You haven't seen ****...til you'vce seen US sailors moving towards a real fire on a submarine...

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

The Phoenicians. They invented navigation, fer crying out loud...

[Spec]

VICKINGS RULE!!!

[Spec]

Originally posted by GP
You haven't seen ****...til you'vce seen US sailors moving towards a real fire on a submarine...

Well...That's just an opinion. Me, I'd say you haven't seen **** til you've been in a car that does the 1/4 mile in less than 10 secs. But you know, if you're a "Submarine on fire" fan then that wouldn't interest you....

Spec.

[axi]

In seriousness, the USA navy has the best tradition and capability in damage control. We saved ships that others would have lost recently, Belknap, Stark, etc. And we would have saved some in the Falklands that sank.

This reminds me of a WW2 destroyer of the Greek navy, the "Adhrias" which was cut in half by a torpedo and still the aft half managed to return to port.

Abel Tasman was the first european to discover New Zealand and Australia - he was Dutch.

But its' true, not to have the Dutch as an option up there makes no sense.

I stand corrected.

I have voted for the Polynesians though.

[Lars-E]

Re: Ecowitz - you perfectly understood

Originally posted by Ecowiz Returns
Not to question the valor of this one explorer (and, note that he was but one), there is much difference between travelling by boat in the sight of shore and do it without that safe spot

Notice the date ecowitz?? How many hundred years later were the Portuguese?? And did they or did they not sail along the coast as well on the westside??

If I read you correctly, you are talking about both the Congo River (sailled by Diogo Cão) and the Cape of Good Hope (near the Cape City in South Africa, nowadays), crossed by Bartolomeu Dias (first), Vasco da Gama (when finnishing the Route to India) and Pedro Alvares Cabral (after oficialy discouvering Brazil), just to name a few.

I read about all this a few years ago in a book called "The Great Discoveries", vol. I-VI, by dr. philos. Ørjan Olsen. Thanx for refreshing those names.

The Portuguese actually sailed completely around both Western and Eastern Coast of Africa.

Didn't touch upon this.

Yes but it took too many years and he could not bring that much cargo.

So? Please give me the date again and then tell me when the Portuguese decided to show up. How late again?

That's why Arabs kept controling the trade, until the Portuguese took over.

Hanno was more about exploring I think. Especially the guy Solomon sent out.

BTW, there's a great muslim traveller in the 1300s. What was his name again? He travelled both by sea and land.

Now, I have to resent that!!!
What the hell do you mean with that?
Were they less ethical than others?
In which way?

This is the part you claim not to understand, right? Are you saying those were nice lil' guyz? Many of these were poor criminals and a little murderous adventure out at sea was fun relaxation. Especially if they lustfully could strangle innocent and helpless natives. Ever read about your "great" fellow Portuguese, Vasco da Gama, and his wicked slaying ways.

I understand you feel a need to protect him, him being Portuguese and all, but hey, Germans don't defend Nazis who lived only 50 years ago. Still you wanna defend this coward who lived hundreds of years ago??

BTW, excuse me exaggerating a bit here, but it's useful for making the points stick out. Feel free not to be provoked , but u will rite

[Immortal Wombat]

Originally posted by GP
In seriousness, the USA navy has the best tradition and capability in damage control.

Practise?

[TCO]

IW, certainly. The US Navy has remained more expiditionary than others have since WWII...and it learned a lot in WWII also.

[Lonestar]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus
I'd def chose the dutch.

biggest ship-based trading power in the age of reason. still having the biggest seaport today.

in the past, they sailed all over the globe, discovering new lands and establising colonies, from New York to Cape Town to Batavia (Jakarta), and even to Japan (only western power to have had a colony in Japan).

Oh hush. Go vote "Other", you non-entity.