How a 16th Century Explorer's Sailing Ship Works

Take a comprehensive tour through an early example of a globe-crossing sailing vessel from 1577. Not just an explorer, but also a pirate ship!

CREDITS
Jacob O'Neal - Research, script, narration, 3D modeling / animation, music

MUSIC
I composed the background music. Listen at my Soundcloud:

PATREON

SOFTWARE USED
I use Blender 3D to create these models. It's free and open source, and the community is amazing:

0:00 Intro
02:04 Frame / Construction
07:05 Hold
07:40 Galley
08:37 Hold (Cont'd)
10:22 Orlop Deck
11:31 Main Deck
12:09 Elm Pump
13:01 Cannons
14:47 Weather Deck
15:21 Helm
17:42 Great Cabin
18:43 Forecastle
19:03 Beakhead
19:24 Swivel Guns
20:04 Quarter Deck
20:34 Captain's Cabin
21:09 Masts
22:38 Standing Rigging
25:07 Running Rigging
28:50 Sail Control
32:11 Anchor Handling
34:21 Navigation
13.0 Full Cutaway

Correction:
0:10 Before commenting, check the top pinned "VIDEO CORRECTIONS" thread.

[animagraffs]

VIDEO CORRECTIONS:
Feel free to add your corrections to this thread, but be patient with each other and viewers as we learn together!

[birmoth]

"Your majesty, we bring you spoils from the new world- The American pickup truck! There it is stowed on deck..."

[baska-]

The size of ships pre-industrial revolution is absolutely incredible.

[Twas-RightHere]

38:01 My god, I had the biggest "Ah ha!" moment here. So THAT'S why ship speeds are measured in "knots"'!!!
That and the origin of the phrase "learning the ropes". I'm so glad I watched this video.

[s_build]

We stop working in the studio whenever Animagraffs uploads.

[MinedMaker]

0:29 The Vasa ship (if it's the one I think it is) was Swedish, not Dutch. Don't really change anything, just thought I should mention it.

[ABIELYASHARAHLA]

“Teach the new guy the ropes.” Now I understand where that came from.

[goobfilmcast]

As a kid I used to draw my own versions of these age of sail ships…..this video is a miracle

[Mike]

To some of the commentators here, no good deed goes unpunished. They amount of research you've done here from a person who may not be a history or nautical expert is impressive. I will allow minor mistakes amongst the larger realm of the history of sailing you have shown us. After this video I'm sure 99% of us know more about sailing in this time period than before it started.

[joku]

This went into more detail than any historical documentaries have ever done! I applaud you!!! AMazing video and quality

[Fitzwewels]

This is the best video you've ever produced. Every second, I kept wondering when I'd be disappointed by the end of the video, and then there was MORE! Incredible work. This made my day.

[jaspeeerj]

Jake, I watched this video and immediately sent it to my grandpa as I knew he would love it. He’s turning 90 in a few weeks and lives on the other side of the world to me. Despite his age he is as sharp as ever. He said your video is amazing and that he has visited a few old ships without realising what went into building them and the very complicated control of sails and navigation. So thank you for making this and giving me something to connect with him. Your 90+ fan base just grew by 1.

[shapesnatch]

This is coming in super handy for the fantasy book I'm writing. I just needed a general overview of how these types of ships worked👍

[mymobile]

This is an example of human ingenuity. Animagraffs will have a place in history eventually.

[markwiygul]

great model! One constructive comment is that those 15-19th century ships had lots of juvenile boys on board in those years, the midshipmen and cabin boys. I visited the USS Cairo Museum (civil war iron clad destroyed and sunk at Vicksburg in the Mississippi River) and the museum had a picture salvaged from the sunken ship that the captain kept, of "1st Class Boy George Yost" age 14, which is on their online site too. They were small men on those ships not only because they were smaller men back then, but also because those ships were filled with juveniles. The "Midshipmen" were from officers families and were officers in training, as boys, but the other cabin boys were frequently "juvenile delinquents" who were serving time as punishment, and not expected to rise to officer status.

[bathvader]

You are amazing. Your research, your animations, your sharing of knowledge. You are an example of how technology can be used to educate. Since I was a kid I’ve been obsessed with cutaway models of ships but never found anything as detailed and well-researched as this, condensed into a decent length. Thank you!

[joachimmacdonald]

a small technical point, but the buntlines, clewlines and martinets are not used to set the sail but to furl it - they all pull the sail up and inboard towards the yard, and when the sail is set should be loose. the braces, sheets, tacks and bowlines are used to set the sail.

[ImeanFFS]

Genuinely one of the best channels on YouTube. Meticulous, slow paced, beautiful, detailed. Just the perfect brain food!

[deadfrontdm]

I recently made a career move into 3D animation and it’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. Your work is incredible on so many levels. Truly inspiring. Thank you!

[iwuvu]

As much as modern ships have more impressive and beautiful engineering, they’re always be something special about the old-school ships with sales