Overview

In Mediterranean Wooden Shipbuilding: Economy, Technology and Institutions in Syros in the Nineteenth Century Apostolos Delis analyses the wooden shipbuilding industry of the port of Syros, an important maritime and commercial crossroad in the nineteenth century eastern Mediterranean. The main axes of analysis are the economic, technical and institutional aspects of the industry in relation to the wider international context of shipping and trade. Based on unpublished archival sources, multi-language secondary literature and the employment of interdisciplinary theoretical tools Apostolos Delis not only highlights the national and international significance of Syros' shipbuilding industry, but also contributes novel material to our knowledge of wooden shipbuilding in the Mediterranean.

Full Product Details

Author:   Apostolos Delis
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   2
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.666kg
ISBN:  

9789004306141

ISBN 10:   9004306145
Pages:   328
Publication Date:   30 October 2015
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ... xi List of Illustrations ... xii Maps ... xvii Introduction ... 1 1 The City and the Maritime Centre ... 6 From a Refugee Settlement to a Port-City ... 6 The Character of the New Port-City ... 10 The Urban Area and Its Society ... 16 The Maritime Centre ... 25 2 Syros Shipbuilding: An Industry before Industrialization ... 36 The Shipbuilding Activity: Definition Issues ... 36 The Syros Shipbuilding Industry at the Domestic and International Levels ... 40 The Level of Shipbuilding Technology in the International Context ... 42 Factors of Rise of Syros Wooden Shipbuilding in the Nineteenth Century ... 44 The Search for the Competitive Advantage ... 46 Factors of Decline in the Syros Shipbuilding during the Nineteenth Century ... 50 The Role of Steam ... 50 The Role of the Markets ... 52 The Reallocation of Resources ... 53 The Transition to Steam: Continuities and Discontinuities ... 55 3 Production, Productivity, and Performance of the Shipbuilding Industry ... 57 Shipbuilding Cycles, Historical Conjuncture, and Productive Performance ... 57 Shipbuilding Industry and the Markets ... 57 Shipbuilding Industry of Syros and the Grain Trade: A Case of a Dependent Demand ... 60 Long Shipbuilding Cycles ... 63 Short Shipbuilding Cycles I (1838-61) ... 65 Short Shipbuilding Cycles II (1862-80) ... 68 International Comparison: Classification and Evaluation of Production Level ... 70 Repairs ... 74 The Economics of the Shipbuilding Industry ... 76 Cost of Production: Total Cost and Average Price ... 76 International Price Comparison ... 79 Individual Cost and Cost Structure ... 81 Revenue of the Shipbuilding Industry ... 85 Productivity of the Shipbuilding Industry ... 87 Average Tonnage ... 87 Delivery Time of Vessels ... 90 Capacity of Shipyards ... 91 General Performance of the Shipbuilding Industry on Syros ... 93 4 The Production Process ... 94 The Institutional Framework ... 94 Ship Construction, Institutional Process and Transaction Cost ... 94 The Shipbuilding Agreement ... 96 Variations in the Object of the Shipbuilding Agreement ... 100 Timber Quality Control Issues ... 103 Special Demands on Technical Issues ... 105 The Shipbuilding Timber Agreement ... 108 The Iron Components Agreement ... 110 The Property Document ... 111 The Four Types of Shipbuilding Product ... 112 Agency and Ownership ... 113 The Certificate of Construction ... 114 The Technical Process ... 114 Technology and Methods of Construction in Syros Shipyards ... 114 The Phases of Construction ... 117 The Skeleton ... 117 Keel, Stempost, Sternpost and Stern ... 118 The Frames ... 120 Longitudinal Fastening Elements ... 122 Vertical Fastening Elements ... 125 Covering of the Hull ... 127 The Ceiling ... 128 Decking and Bulwark ... 128 Planking ... 129 Subdivision of the Ship's Hold ... 130 Superstructures ... 130 Ship's Equipment ... 131 Caulking ... 133 Launching ... 133 Ship Types ... 134 Brig: The Barometer of Syros Shipbuilding Industry ... 142 5 The Demand: Shipowners and Investors ... 146 Geographic Origin and Ownership Distribution of Investors ... 147 Distribution per Number of Investors ... 147 Distribution of Investors per Tonnage Capacity ... 150 Distribution per Values of Ships ... 152 The Making of Shipping Knowhow of the Groups of Origin ... 155 The Hermoupolis Groups of Origin-The Psariots ... 155 The Chiots ... 157 The Outside Hermoupolis Groups of Origin-Andros ... 162 Hydra ... 163 Santorini ... 165 Mykonos ... 166 Spetses ... 167 The Ionians (Cephalonia and Ithaki) ... 169 The Occupational Groups of Investors ... 170 Most Important Individual Investors: A Socio-Economic Profile ... 173 Towards a Concentrated Ownership: Specialization and Shipowning ... 179 6 Factors of Production ... 182 Organization of Production ... 182 The Shipbuilding Enterprise ... 182 Structure and Characteristics of the Shipbuilding Enterprise in Syros in the Nineteenth Century ... 183 Shipbuilding Enterprises and Shipbuilders in Syros: Origin and Know-how ... 185 Productivity and Classification of Master Shipwrights and of Shipbuilding Enterprises ... 188 Shipbuilding Enterprises and Entrepreneurship-the Making of a Shipbuilding Elite ... 193 Koufoudakis Family ... 195 Pagidas Family ... 196 Maskas Family ... 198 Sehas Family ... 201 Krystallis Family ... 202 Potous Family ... 203 Cooperative Forms of Production-Partnerships of Shipbuilding Craftsmen ... 205 Labour ... 206 Specialization, Division of Labour and Hierarchy ... 206 Workforce Capacity and Wages ... 207 Capital ... 209 Land ... 210 The Old Shipbuilding Area ... 210 The New Shipbuilding Area ... 211 The Ship Repairing Zone ... 213 Auxiliary Trades-Raw Materials ... 214 Organization of Timber Trade ... 214 Charters Transportation ... 215 Sales ... 217 Metallurgy and Ironsmith Workshops ... 220 Other Shipbuilding Material and Maritime Stores ... 220 Conclusions ... 223 Appendices ... 227 Sources and Bibliography ... 295 Index ... 316

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Author Information

Apostolos Delis, Ph.D. (2010), is Junior Researcher in the Institute for Mediterranean Studies/FORTH. His research interests include the history of the technology of the sailing ship, the shipbuilding industry, port history and the institutions of the shipping business.

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