Ships and boathouses

The Land Defence section does not say much about the ships themselves but describes routines and procedures related to their construction and maintenance. Among other things, it describes how to proceed with new acquisitions when ships were decommissioned and how to build boathouses. Craftsmen were obligated to report for duty when summoned; otherwise, they were fined. Both wages and board are specified for the various tasks.

Timber for ships and boathouses could be obtained from anyone’s forest, even the king’s, as long as not everything was taken from the same place – one of the many examples of just arrangements in the Laws of the Land. The ships’ captains were appointed by the king or his representatives and had great responsibilities and broad powers. They would have “the greatest authority on board each ship”, which included launching and landing the ship, salaries for the crew, including the cooks, provisions, and armament. Little is stated about life on board, but it is understood that it was best for one to do as one was told; otherwise, there would be fines or other punishments.

For gross negligence, one could be declared an outlaw. The food on board was obviously important for morale, for a cook who prepared bad food would receive corporal punishment – but not so severe that he suffered permanent injuries.