Sailing craft

A sailing ship uses sails, mounted on two or more masts, to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships carry square sails on each mast—the brig and full-rigged ship, said to be 'ship-rigged' when there are three or more masts. Others carry only fore-and-aft sails on each mast—schooners. Still others employ a combination of square and fore-and aft sails, including the barque, barquentine, and brigantine. Sailing ships developed differently in Asia, which produced the junk and dhow—vessels that incorporated innovations absent in European ships of the time.Defined by general configurationDefined by sail planGötheborg, a sailing replica of a Swedish East IndiamanCutty Sark, the only surviving clipper shipUSS Constitution with sails on display in 2012, the oldest commissioned warship still afloatFrench steam-powered, screw-propelled battleship, NapoléonINS Tarangini, a three-masted barque in service with the Indian NavyMaltese Falcon with all-rotating, stayless DynaRig A sailing ship uses sails, mounted on two or more masts, to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships carry square sails on each mast—the brig and full-rigged ship, said to be 'ship-rigged' when there are three or more masts. Others carry only fore-and-aft sails on each mast—schooners. Still others employ a combination of square and fore-and aft sails, including the barque, barquentine, and brigantine. Sailing ships developed differently in Asia, which produced the junk and dhow—vessels that incorporated innovations absent in European ships of the time. Sailing ships with predominantly square rigs became prevalent during the Age of Discovery, when they crossed oceans between continents and around the world. Most sailing ships were merchantmen, but the Age of Sail also saw the development of large fleets of well-armed warships. The Age of Sail waned with the advent of steam-powered ships, which permitted more reliable water transport. The history of the sailing ship begins in lands abutting the western Mediterranean Sea with vessels powered downwind by square sails that supplemented propulsion by oars. Sailing ships evolved differently in the South China Sea and in the Indian Ocean, where fore-and-aft sail plans were developed several centuries into the Common Era. By the time of the Age of Discovery—starting in the 15th century—square-rigged, multi-masted vessels were the norm and were guided by navigation techniques that included the magnetic compass and making sightings of the sun and stars that allowed transoceanic voyages. The Age of Sail reached its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries with large, heavily armed battleships and merchant sailing ships that were able to travel at speeds that exceeded those of the newly introduced steamships. Ultimately, the reliability of steamships and their ability to take shorter routes, passing through the Suez and Panama Canals, made sailing ships uneconomical. Initially, sails provided supplementary power to ships with oars, because the sails were not designed to sail to windward. In Asia sailing ships were equipped with fore-and-aft rigs that made sailing to windward possible. Later square-rigged vessels were able to sail to windward, as well and became the standard for European ships through the Age of Discovery when vessels ventured around Africa to India, to the Americas and around the world. Later during this period—in the late 15th century, 'ship-rigged' vessels with multiple square sails on each mast appeared and became common for sailing ships. Sailing ships date to 3000 BCE, when Egyptians used a bipod mast to support a single square sail on a vessel that mainly relied on multiple paddlers. Later the mast became a single pole and paddles were supplanted with oars. Such vessels plied both the Nile and the Mediterranean coast. The inhabitants of Crete had sailing vessels by 1200 BCE. Between 1000 BCE and 400 CE, the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans developed ships that were powered by square sails, sometimes with oars to supplement their capabilities. Such vessels used a steering oar as a rudder to control direction. Fore-and-aft sails started appearing on sailing vessels in the Mediterranean ca.1200 CE, an influence of rigs introduced in Asia and the Indian Ocean. Starting in the 8th century in Denmark, Vikings were building clinker-constructed longships propelled with a single, square sail, when practical, and oars, when necessary. A related craft was the knarr, which plied the Baltic and North Seas, using primarily sail power. The windward edge of the sail was stiffened with a beitass, a pole that fitted into the lower corner of the sail, when sailing close to the wind. The Javanese built ocean-going merchant ships called djongs since the first century CE. Junks with fore-and-aft sails were plying Asian waters in the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). Song Dynasty (950-1276 CE) commercial junks had as many as four masts. The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), saw the use of junks as naval vessels. Chinese Admiral Zheng He reportedly sailed to India, Arabia, and southern Africa on a trade and diplomatic mission. His largest vessel, the 'Treasure Ship', reportedly measured 400 feet (120 m) in length and 150 feet (46 m) in width—reputedly the largest example of a junk. Junks in China were constructed from teak with pegs and nails; they featured watertight compartments and acquired center-mounted tillers and rudders. An important invention in this region was the fore-and-aft rig, which made sailing against the wind possible. Such sails may have originated with the Malay (Nusantaran) people, who made such sails from woven mats reinforced with bamboo, at least several hundred years BCE. Balance lugsails and tanja sails also originated from this region. Vessels with such sails explored and traded along the western coast of Africa. This type of sail propagated to the west and influenced Arab lateen designs and the east to influence the Polynesian crab claw sail design. The Indian Ocean was the venue for increasing trade between India and Africa between 1200 and 1500. The vessels employed would be classified as dhows with lateen rigs. During this interval such vessels grew in capacity from 100 to 400 tonnes. Dhows were often built with teak planks from India and Southeast Asia, sewn together with coconut husk fiber—no nails were employed. This period also saw the implementation of center-mounted rudders, controlled with a tiller.