Hanseatic trade
They were wide, about 30 meters long, equipped with crenelated superstructures and a single sail, capable of sailing against the wind and fast, reaching a speed of 4-5 miles per hour. Capacious and manoeuvrable, they provided an advantage over competitors, especially in the Baltic Sea.The oldest seal of Gdansk from 1299 shows an image of a Koga floating on the waves.
In the 14th century, a new, flat-bottomed, and eventually large, transport ship appeared - the holk (hulk), which replaced the Koga. It could carry three hundred tons of cargo and was equipped with castels at the bow and stern. It was propelled, similarly to the Koga, by one quadrangular sail. The National Maritime Museum, in the granaries on Ołowianka, exhibits fragments and equipment of a towboat retrieved from the Bay of Gdańsk in 1975, which sank in 1408 as a result of a fire after leaving the port of Gdańsk. This wreck was called the "Copper Ship". In the mid-15th century, an even larger ship appeared - a caravel, with three masts and a smooth hull - close together, capable of carrying over four hundred tons on board.
In the 14th century, a new, flat-bottomed, and eventually large, transport ship appeared - the holk (hulk), which replaced the Koga. It could carry three hundred tons of cargo and was equipped with castels at the bow and stern. It was propelled, similarly to the Koga, by one quadrangular sail. The National Maritime Museum, in the granaries on Ołowianka, exhibits fragments and equipment of a towboat retrieved from the Bay of Gdańsk in 1975, which sank in 1408 as a result of a fire after leaving the port of Gdańsk. This wreck was called the "Copper Ship". In the mid-15th century, an even larger ship appeared - a caravel, with three masts and a smooth hull - close together, capable of carrying over four hundred tons on board.