''Cascos'' are flat-bottomed square-ended
barge
Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
s from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. They were used mostly to carry cargo along lakes and rivers, and as
lighters
A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...
to transport goods to and from
moored
A mooring is any permanent structure to which a vessel may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to forestall free movement of the ship on the water. An ''an ...
ships.
Though they resemble the Chinese
sampan, they are much larger with two detachable masts with
junk rigs made of woven fiber. They also possess
outrigger
An outrigger is a projecting structure on a boat, with specific meaning depending on types of vessel. Outriggers may also refer to legs on a wheeled vehicle that are folded out when it needs stabilization, for example on a crane that lifts ...
-like platforms along the entire length of the sides, which is used by
punters with
barge poles when traversing shallow water. They were steered by an
oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end.
The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...
or a central
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
by a
helmsman
A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fishing vessels and yacht ...
housed in a small raised platform at the
stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...
. The entire deck is covered almost entirely in removable curving or pitched panels.
''Cascos'' were most prevalent in southern
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, particularly along the
Pasig River
The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its ...
and
Laguna de Bay, as well as in the
Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...
harbor.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, they were often strung together in a train drawn by a
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
(''vapor''). They were used as transport ships by American troops in Laguna de Bay during the
Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
.
''Cascos'' are still used today in fluvial parades. An example is during the celebrations of
Our Lady of Peñafrancia
Our Lady of Peñafrancia ( es, Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia) is an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Philippines. It is one of the most venerated Marian images in Asia—the patroness of the Bicol Region, colloquially referred to as "In ...
in
Naga City,
Bicol.
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
(c. 1900)
File:Tagalog Casco barge.jpg, Drawing of a ''casco'' (c. 1906)
File:A casco (barge) in Manila Bay (1906).jpg, A ''casco'' in Manila Bay in full sail (c. 1906)
File:Entrance to Laguna de Bay via Pasig River, early 1800s.jpg, An 1855 woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
with a ''casco'' (left) in a woodcut on the entrance to the Pasig River
The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its ...
from the Manila Bay
File:Lastboot (Casco). Nach der Zeichnung eines Tagalen.png, A ''casco'' with two punters (1873)
File:Vista del Puente de Manila (1847).png, ''Vista del Puente de Manila'', an 1847 painting by José Honorato Lozano showing a ''casco'' (center left) and several sampans and other river boats
See also
*
Balangay
A Balangay, or barangay is a type of lashed-lug boat built by joining planks edge-to-edge using pins, dowels, and fiber lashings. They are found throughout the Philippines and were used largely as trading ships up until the colonial era. The ...
*
Garay
*
Guilalo
''Guilalo'' (also spelled ''gilalo'', ''jilalo'', ''bilalo'', or ''guilálas''), were large native sailing outrigger ships of the Tagalog people in the Philippines. They were common vessels in Manila Bay in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were ea ...
*
Junk (ship)
A junk (Chinese: 船, ''chuán'') is a type of China, Chinese sailing ship with junk rig, fully battened sails. There are two types of junk in China: northern junk, which developed from Chinese river boats, and southern junk, which developed fro ...
, sailing ships of China
*
Karakoa
''Karakoa'' were large outrigger warships from the Philippines. They were used by native Filipinos, notably the Kapampangans and the Visayans, during seasonal sea raids. ''Karakoa'' were distinct from other traditional Philippine sailing vessels ...
, raiding ship of the
Visayas
The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...
*
Paraw
Paraw (also spelled ''parao'') are various double outrigger sail boats in the Philippines. It is a general term (similar to the term '' bangka'') and thus can refer to a range of ship types, from small fishing canoes to large merchant lashed-l ...
*
Salambaw
*
Sampan, the Malay and Chinese version of the Casco
References
{{Austronesian ships
Indigenous ships of the Philippines