Tall ship explained

A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival.

History

Traditional rigging may include square rigs and gaff rigs, usually with separate topmasts and topsails. It is generally more complex than modern rigging, which utilizes newer materials such as aluminum and steel to construct taller, lightweight masts with fewer, more versatile sails. Most smaller, modern vessels use the Bermuda rig.

Author and master mariner Joseph Conrad (who spent 1874 to 1894 at sea in tall ships and was quite particular about naval terminology) used the term "tall ship" in his works;[1] for example, in The Mirror of the Sea in 1906.[2]

Henry David Thoreau also references the term "tall ship" in his first work, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, quoting "Down out at its mouth, the dark inky main blending with the blue above. Plum Island, its sand ridges scolloping along the horizon like the sea-serpent, and the distant outline broken by many a tall ship, leaning, still, against the sky." He does not cite this quotation, but the work was written in 1849.[3]

While Sail Training International (STI) has extended the definition of tall ship for the purpose of its races to embrace any sailing vessel with more than 30feet waterline length and on which at least half the people on board are aged 15 to 25.[4]

Sail Training International

In the 21st century, "tall ship" is often used generically for large, classic, sailing vessels, but is also a technically defined term by Sail Training International for its purposes and STI helped popularize the term. The exact definitions have changed somewhat over time, and are subject to various technicalities, but by 2011 there were 4 classes (A, B, C, and D). There are only two size classes, A is over 40 m LOA, and B/C/D are 9.14 m to under 40 m LOA. The definitions have to do with rigging: class A is for square sail rigged ships, class B is for "traditionally rigged" ships, class C is for "modern rigged" vessels with no "spinnaker-like sails", and class D is the same as class C but carrying a spinnaker-like sail.

Class A

All square-rigged vessels (barque, barquentine, brig, brigantine or ship rigged) and all other vessels more than 40 metres length overall (LOA), regardless of rig. STI classifies its A Class as "all square-rigged vessels and all other vessels over 40m (130feet) length overall (LOA)", in this case STI LOA excludes bowsprit and aft spar. STI defines LOA as "Length overall measured from the fore side of stem postto aft side of stern post, counter or transom".[5]

Class A Tall Ships
Current
name
Current nationality Original
delivery
Mast Rig Length excluding
bowsprit [m]
Beam [m]
Alexander von Humboldt II 2011 3 60 10.8
Alpha 1948 2 8.9
Amerigo Vespucci 1931 3 82.4 15.8
Belem 1896 3 51 8.8
Bima Suci2017 3 111.20 13.65
Capitain Miranda 19303 50.3 7.9
Christian Radich 1937 3 62.5 9.7
Cisne Branco 1999 3 60.5 10.7
Constitution 1797 362 13.26
Creole 1927 3 42.7 8.9
Creoula 1937 4 62.29.9
Cuauhtemoc 1982 3 67.2 12.0
Danmark 1932 3 59.8 10.1
Dar Młodzieży 1982 394.8 14.0
Dewaruci 1953 3 49.7 9.4
Druzhba 1987 3 94.2 14
Eagle 1936 3 80.7 11.9
Eendracht 1989 3 55.3 12.2
Elissa 18773 45.4 8.5
Esmeralda 1953 4 94.13 13.1
Eugene Eugenides 1959 3 9.2
Europa 1911 3 44.5 7.3
Gazela 1901 3 Barquentine42.7 7.9
Georg Stage (II) 1935 3 42 8.5
Gloria 1968 3 Barque67 10.7
Golden Quest 1945 3 48 7.5
Gorch Fock (I) 1933 3 73.7 11.9
Gorch Fock (II) Germany1958 3 81.2 11.9
Greif 1950 2 7.4
Großherzogin Elizabeth 1908 3 53 8.2
Guayas 1977 3 56.10 10.4
Iskra (II) 1982 3 40 7.9
Italia 1993 2 53.7 9.16
Jadran 1933 3 8.9
James Craig 1874 3 54.8 9.5
Jessica 1983 3 6.7
Juan Sebastián Elcano 1927 4 94.13 13.1
Juan Bautista Cambiaso 2009 3 54.60 8.5
Galeon Andalucia 2010 3 51 10.2
Kaiwo Maru II 1989 4 89.0 13.8
Kaliakra 1984 3 43.2 7.9
Khersones 1989 3 94.8 14.0
Kruzenshtern 1926 4 95 14.0
Leeuwin II 1986 3 41.2 9.0
Libertad 1960 3 91.7 13.7
La Grace Czech Republic2010 232.86.06
Lord Nelson1985 3 40.2 8.5
Mercator Belgium19323Barquentine68 11.9
Meridian 1948 38.9
Mir 1987 3 94.8 14.0
Mircea1938 3 73.7 12.5
Morgenster 1919238.0 6.0
U.S. Brig Niagara1988 2 37.5 9.8
Nippon Maru 1984 4 89.0 13.8
Oosterschelde 1918 3 40.12 7.5
Palinuro 1934 3 58.7 10.1
1989 3 94.2 14.0
Peacemaker 1989 3 38 10.4
Picton Castle 1928 3 45.2 7.3
Pogoria Poland1980 3 40.9 7.9
Rah Naward Pakistan2001 2 40.6 9.9
Roald Amundsen Germany1952 2 40.8 7.2
Royal Albatross Malaysia2001 4 47.0 7.6
Royal Clipper Sweden2000 5 134.8 16.5
Sagres Portugal1937 3 81.3 11.9
Santa Maria Manuela 1937 4 62.4 9.9
Sedov 1921 4108.7 14.6
Shabab Oman 1971 343.9 8.5
1979 3 70.0 10.4
Sørlandet 1927 3 56.7 9.6
Spirit of New Zealand 1986 3 33.2 9.0
Stad Amsterdam 2000 3 62.4 10.5
Statsraad Lehmkuhl 19143 84.6 12.6
Star of India 18633 62.5 10.7
Stavros S Niarchos 2000 2 40.6 9.9
Sudarshini 2011 354.0 8.5
Surprise (ex Rose) 1970 354.6 9.8
Tarangini 1997 354.0 8.5
Thor Heyerdahl Germany1930 3 42.5 6.5
Unicorn 1948 2 7.3
2014499.0 13.5
Varuna 1981 354.0 8.5
Young America 1975 2 7.2
Young Endeavour 1986 2 35 7.8
Historical
Name Last nationality Original
delivery
Mast Rig End
Alexander von Humboldt 1906 3 Sold 2011/ relocated to Caribbean, 2013 returned to Germany; currently docked
Bounty 1960 3 Sank 2012
Concordia 1992 3Sank 2010
Dunay 1928 3 Burned 1963
Prince William United Kingdom2001 2 Sold (2010); now a sail training ship of the Pakistan Navy with the name Rah Naward
Sagres Portugal1896 3 Replaced by the third Sagres in 1961. Sold (1983); now permanently moored in Hamburg, Germany with the name Rickmer Rickmers
Sarmiento 1897 3 Museum ship, moored in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Uruguay 1874 3 Museum ship, moored in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Class B

Traditionally rigged vessels (i.e. gaff rigged sloops, ketches, yawls and schooners) with an LOA of less than 40 metres and with a waterline length (LWL) of at least 9.14 metres, one good example is Spirit of Bermuda.

Class C

Modern rigged vessels (i.e. Bermudan rigged sloops, ketches, yawls and schooners) with an LOA of less than 40 metres and with a waterline length (LWL) of at least 9.14 metres not carrying spinnaker-like sails.

Class C Tall Ships
Current
name
Current nationality Original
delivery
Mast Rig Length excluding
bowsprit [m]
Beam [m]
Caroly 1948 2 23.66 4.8
Capricia 1963 2 22.56 5.03
Stella Polare 1965 2 21.47 4.89
Corsaro II 1961 2 20.9 4.7

Class D

Modern rigged vessels (i.e. Bermudan-rigged sloops, ketches, yawls and schooners) with an LOA of less than 40 metres and with a waterline length (LWL) of at least 9.14 metres carrying spinnaker-like sails. There are also a variety of other rules and regulations for the crew, such as ages, and also for a rating rule. There are other sail festivals and races with their own standards, the STI is just one set of standards for their purposes.

Earlier description of classes

An older definition of class "A" by the STI was "all square-rigged vessels over 120′ (36.6 m) length overall (LOA). Fore and aft rigged vessels of 160′ (48.8 m) (LOA) and over". By LOA they meant length excluding bowsprit and aft spar.[6]

Class "B" was "all fore and aft rigged vessels between 100 and 160 feet in length, and all square rigged vessels under 120′ (36.6 m) (LOA)".

See also a list of class "A" ships with lengths including bowsprit.[7]

Lost tall ships

Tall ships are sometimes lost, such as by a storm at sea. Some examples of lost tall ships include:

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Conrad, Joseph. Selected works of Joseph Conrad. 2019-11-20. Strelbytskyy Multimedia Publishing. en.
  2. Book: Conrad, Joseph. The Mirror of the Sea. Harper & Brothers. 1906. 56. 9781774415207 .
  3. Web site: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Thoreau. Henry David. www.gutenberg.org. 9 May 2018.
  4. Web site: Definition of a tall ship. Sail On Board. en. 2020-01-21.
  5. http://www.sailtraininginternational.org/_uploads/documents/CaptainsPage/RuleOfRatingMeasurementForm.pdf STI Measurement form.
  6. Web site: National Institute for Sea Training (NIST). kohkun.go.jp. 9 May 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100127162324/http://www.kohkun.go.jp/tallship_e/tallship_list.html. 27 January 2010.
  7. Web site: National Institute for Sea Training (NIST). kohkun.go.jp. 9 May 2018. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081020020630/http://www.kohkun.go.jp/tallship_e/list/tallship_list_a_e.html. 20 October 2008.
  8. News: Corzo . Cynthia . Morgan . Curtis . Herald . John Barry . 8 November 1998 . The loss of the Windjammer Schooner, Fantome . . 9 May 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131026133449/http://www.fortogden.com/fantommiamiherald.html . 26 October 2013 . FortOgden.
  9. Web site: Lennie - 1889. Marine Heritage Database. 2007-10-05. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171025022052/https://novascotia.ca/museum/wrecks/wrecks/shipwrecks.asp?ID=2773. 2017-10-25.
  10. http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?34993 Lennie (+1889)