City of Elbing

Year: 1350 AD
Category: Medieval
Vessel Type: Merchant Ship
Scale: 1/12" = 1 foot
Overall Length: 98 feet

Castles first came into use on ships during the medieval years and were first employed on the merchant ships of the Hanseatic League.

The Hanseatic League was a grouping of towns and cities in northern Europe which supported one another commercially, politically, and militarily. The backbone of the League consisted of merchant ships like this one, which was armed to protect the goods from piracy.

These northern ships were "Clinker-built" with the hull planks overlapping one another. This differed from the Mediterranean "Carvel-built" method where the planks were laid flush to each other.