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Reconstruction of an ancient trireme at the Athens naval yard. Ancient writers claim amazing feats for the trireme, and some modern scholars doubted these claims. In 1985–1987 a shipbuilder in Piraeus, financed by Frank Welsh (a Suffolk banker, writer and trireme enthusiast), advised by historians J. S. Morrison and John F. Coates and informed by evidence from underwater archaeology, built a reconstructed Athenian trireme, Olympias. Crewed by 170 volunteer oarsmen and oarswomen, Olympias in 1988 achieved 9 knots (17 km/h) and was able to execute 180 deggres turn in one minute and in an arc no wider than two and one half (2.5) ship-lengths . These results, achieved with inexperienced crew, suggest that the ancient writers were not exaggerating. Additional sea trials took place in 1987, 1990, 1992 and 1994. In 2004 Olympias was used ceremonially to transport the Olympic Flame from the port of Keratsini to the main port of Piraeus as the Olympic Torch Relay entered its final stages in the runup to the 2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. The reconstruction project effectively proved conclusively what had previously been in doubt, that Athenian triremes were arranged with the crew positioned in a staggered arrangement on three levels with one person per oar. This would have made optimum use of the available internal dimensions. However since modern humans are on average approximately 8 inches (20 cm) taller than Ancient Greeks (and the same relative dimensions can be presumed for oarsmen and other athletes), the construction of a craft which followed the precise dimensions of the ancient vessel led to cramped rowing conditions and consequent restrictions on the modern crew's ability to propel the vessel with full efficiency, which perhaps explains why the ancient speed records stand unbroken. category images
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