Woods of Catalonia for the Navy of Enlightenment. Sources for the Study of Catalan Forests and their Relationship with Shipbuilding in the 18th Century

Abstract

Since the Middle Ages the woods of the forests of Catalonia had been used for the naval industry of the Principality, especially for the construction of galleys in the Atarazanas of Barcelona. However, it was mainly from the 18th century when the forestry exploitation of the forests of Catalonia would have a great development because of the policy of reconstruction of the Spanish Navy promoted by the new dynasty of the Bourbons. To this end, the pines of Tortosa, the oaks of Girona or the conifers of the Pyrenees were transported by river via the Ebro and its tributaries to reach the Catalan coast. From there the wood would be moved by sea to Cartagena, the arsenal that used the raw material of the forests of Catalonia for the construction and repair of ships, of the Spanish Navy, at least until 1793.

Keywords

• arsenal de cartagena
• maderas
• construcción naval
• historia naval
• cataluña siglo xviii