Ships' Bilge Pumps A History of Their Development, 1500–1900 by Thomas J. Oertling

All wooden ships leak, a stark fact that has terrified sailors since the earliest days of ocean travel. Maritime historical literature is filled with horrific descriptions of being aboard a slowly sinking ship. Starting from this human perspective, Thomas J. Oertling traces the five-hundred-year evolution of a seemingly mundane but obviously important piece of seafaring equipment in this one-of-a-kind history.

Beginning with early-sixteenth-century documents that recorded bilge pump design and installation and ending late in the nineteenth century, when bilge pumps were being mass-produced, Oertling covers a period of radical technological change. He describes the process of making long wooden pump tubes by hand, as well as the assembly of the machine-crafted pumps that helped revolutionize ship construction and design. Also given in detail are the creation, function, and development of all three types of pumps used from about 1500 to well into the nineteenth century: the burr pump, the suction or common pump, and the chain pump. Of further interest is Oertling's overall examination of the nature and management of leaks in ships' hulls. Line drawings and photographs illustrate the text.

THOMAS J. OERTLING of Galveston received a B.S. from Tulane University and an M.A. in anthropology with a specialization in nautical archaeology from Texas A&M University. One of the field's recognized experts on ships' pumps, he has done extensive work in ship reconstruction and has published numerous articles.

Number Two: Studies in Nautical Archaeology

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Ships' Bilge Pumps
ISBN 0-89096-722-9 paper $17.95

LC 96-21939. 6x9. 130 pp. 39 b&w photos.
23 line drawings. Bib. Index.
Nautical Archaeology. Maritime History.

Publication Date: October 1996.

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