Jewel of Muscat
Videos, photos and information on the reconstruction of a 9th-century Arab ship, and its historic voyage from Oman to Singapore.
Launch
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The 20 tonne ship will roll slowly down rails to the sea. -
A frame is being built round the ship -
Trenches have been dug to build a frame under the ship. -
The frame must keep the ship steady. -
The frame is made from steel beams. -
Each beam has to be slowly jacked up into position. -
The frame will weigh around 4 tonnes. -
More rails will be laid soon. -
Huge buoys will steady the ship in the water. -
Filming for the National Geographic Channel. -
The frame must be kept level. -
Side supports are added to hold the ship steady. -
Each support must be cut to fit. -
Work on the track continues. -
The view from the deck. -
Work goes on after dark. -
Finishing the supports that will hold the ship. -
Wheels are being fitted to the frame. -
In the water the supports will fold down. -
Machining the support arms. -
Fitting another wheel. -
Measuring the ship with lasers. -
Clearing the path to the sea. -
The supporting arms are padded. -
More sleepers are laid down to the sea. -
Sheets are fixed to protect the stitching. -
Tom Vosmer is interviewed for National Geographic. -
Pushing the supports into position. -
The frame is ready to hold the ship. -
The old supports are taken away. -
The rails nearly reach the sea now. -
Digging the sand from under the ship. -
Tonnes of sand must be moved. -
Dawn over the shipyard. -
Looking down to the sea. -
The rails reach the high tide mark now. -
The sand has been cleared from under the ship. -
Jacks hold the ship up now. -
The team starts jacking down the ship. -
The wheels will be lowered onto rails. -
Cameras waiting for the launch. -
The rail runs right under the wheels now. -
The back wheels are just touching the rail. -
A digger drags completed sections of track down the beach. -
The track under the wheels and the rest of track are misaligned. -
But a team soon levers them into position. -
The anchor for the cables to hold the ship as she rolls into the sea. -
As night falls the team struggles to assemble sections of track in the sea. -
Luca Belfioretti fights against the surf as he tightens bolts. -
Meanwhile the rest of team hold the section of track steady in the waves. -
Eric Staples tightens the other set of bolts. -
The section is attached – but there’s 4 more to go! -
Up the beach, the rails are being finished. -
It’s after 10pm, but work won’t stop tonight. -
All the rails have now been fitted under the ship. -
The cameras are ready as lowering begins. -
It’s a small distance, but difficult work. -
Vertical and horizontal hydraulic jacks lower the ship and keep it straight. -
The lead engineers watch over the slow, delicate work. -
The rear wheels connect with the rails first. -
Now the front wheels are nearly there. -
With the ship on the rails the Jewel of Muscat is ready to roll! -
Just after midnight the team starts pushing. -
With help from the stern….. -
the ship starts to move…. -
and is soon clear of the shed. -
The team feel they’re on the move. -
Luca Belfioretti, Capt. Saleh al Jabri and Tom Vosmer are pleased. -
In 45 minutes the ship is well down the track. -
The wheels are running fine…. -
and the Jewel of Muscat slips out into the night. -
Behind her, steel winch cables stop the ship running away. -
But before she can go further sections of track must be moved. -
A section is lifted for placing in the sea. -
Divers are waiting to install each section. -
Each section is more difficult to install than the last. -
But once the track is attached the ship moves forward again. -
She’s a long way from her starting point now. -
Ballast is loaded to keep her upright in the sea. -
The front wheels of the frame are in the sea now. -
More ballast is loaded. -
Local people have come to watch the launch. -
Divers prepare to help launch the ship. -
The divers are in the sea, all is ready for launch. -
Everyone prepares to push the ship. -
The big push begins. -
But for all the effort the ship doesn’t move. -
Divers try to see why she won’t move. -
A tow rope is attached. -
Capt Saleh Al Jabri directs from the deck of the Jewel of Muscat. -
But even a tow from a navy boat doesn’t move the ship. -
The rising tide makes it hard to push. -
Lead shipwright Babu Sankaran joins in. -
Then people pushing hear music. -
Omani drummers raise everyone’s spirits. -
The result is another huge push. -
But still the ship won’t move forwards. -
The Omani trainees wonder if the ship can be launched. -
At 4pm the team returns as the tide goes out. -
Now it's clear why the ship would not move. -
The track has buckled under the weight. -
The team debates what to do. -
It’s decided to push the ship with a digger. -
There’s a loud crack and the ship jumps forward in its supports. -
Padding is torn out and the supports grate against the ship. -
There’s a real fear she’s been damaged. -
The covers are cut open to check the stitching. -
But a close inspection, inside and out, shows the ship is OK. -
The digger is abandoned and it’s back to muscle power. -
With crowbars and a huge push, another wheel passes the damaged section of track. -
All is set to try for a launch at high tide next morning. -
At dawn, the ship is at the edge of the water. -
Sand is cleared from the wheels. -
The whole team prepares to push and lever with crow bars. -
The tow guns its engines hard. -
And suddenly the ship slips into the water. -
Wild cheering breaks out. -
The tension is broken. -
Tom Vosmer is ecstatic. -
Tired faces break into smiles. -
We did it! -
Extra ballast in the bow tilts the ship down, but she is floating fine. -
The tow boat prepares to take the Jewel of Muscat to her new berth. -
It’s an hour’s tow to the Marina Bandar Al-Rowdha. -
Soon Jewel of Muscat is far from the slipway – on her first voyage.
