A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

s and

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...

s. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival.

History

Traditional rigging may include

square rig Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called ''yards'' and ...

s and

gaff rig Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shape ...

s, usually with separate topmasts and

topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...

s. It is generally more complex than modern rigging, which utilizes newer materials such as

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

and

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

to construct taller, lightweight masts with fewer, more versatile sails. Most smaller, modern vessels use the

Bermuda rig A Bermuda rig, Bermudian rig, or Marconi rig is a configuration of Mast (sailing), mast and rigging for a type of sailboat and is the typical configuration for most modern sailboats. This configuration was developed in Bermuda in the 1600s; the t ...

. Though it did not become popular elsewhere until the twentieth century, this rig was developed in

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

in the seventeenth century, and had historically been used on its small ships, the

Bermuda sloop The Bermuda sloop is a historical type of fore-and-aft rigged single-masted sailing vessel developed on the islands of Bermuda in the 17th century. Such vessels originally had gaff rigs with quadrilateral sails, but evolved to use the Bermuda rig ...

s. Author and

master mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of seafarer qualification; namely, an unlimited master's license. Such a license is labelled ''unlimited'' because it has no limits on the tonnage, power, or geographic location of ...

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in t ...

(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; for example, in ''The Mirror of the Sea'' in 1906.

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

also references the term "tall ship" in his first work, ''

A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers ''A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers'' (1849) is a book by American writer Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862). It recounts his experience on a boat trip with his brother on the Concord River and Merrimack River. Overview ''A Week on the ...

'', 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. While

Sail Training International Sail Training International (STI) is an international sail training organisation, with members in 29 countries. Its main aim is to train sailing skills to young people. It is based in Hampshire in the United Kingdom and is a registered charity.UK ...

(STI) has extended the definition of ''tall ship'' for the purpose of its races to embrace any sailing vessel with more than

waterline The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...

length and on which at least half the people on board are aged 15 to 25.

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 A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a reach (wind at 90° to the course) to downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinnakers are constructed of lightweight fabric, usually n ...

-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

length overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, an ...

(LOA)", in this case STI LOA excludes

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestays. The word ''bowsprit'' is thought to originate from the Middle L ...

and aft

spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

. STI defines LOA as "Length overall measured from the fore side of stem post to aft side of stern post, counter or transom".

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 The ''Spirit of Bermuda'' is a modern-built Bermuda sloop. She is a replica of a Royal Navy sloop-of-war, depicted in a well-known 1831 painting. History of the Bermuda sloop The Bermuda sloop was a type of small sailing ship built in Bermud ...

''.

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 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)

(LOA).

Fore and aft A fore-and-aft rig is a sailing vessel rigged mainly with sails set along the line of the keel, rather than perpendicular to it as on a square rigged vessel. Description Fore-and-aft rigged sails include staysails, Bermuda rigged sails, ga ...

rigged vessels of 160′ (48.8 m) (LOA) and over". By LOA they meant length excluding

and aft spar. 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.

Lost tall ships

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

Asgard II ''Asgard II'' was the Irish national sail training vessel, until she sank in the Bay of Biscay in 2008. A brigantine, she was commissioned on 7 March 1981 and purpose-built as a sail training vessel by Jack Tyrrell in Arklow, County Wicklow ...

'', an Irish national sail training ship, commissioned in 1982, was lost in 2008 off the French coast. The two-masted brigantine is thought to have collided with a submerged object. * ''

Astrid Astrid is a feminine given name of Scandinavian origin, a modern form of the name Ástríðr. Derived from the Old Norse Ássfriðr, a compound name composed of the elements (a god) and (beautiful, fair). Variants * Assan (diminutive) (Swed ...

'' ran aground in 2013 off Ireland, and then broke up in 2014 after being salvaged * ''

Bounty Bounty or bounties commonly refers to: * Bounty (reward), an amount of money or other reward offered by an organization for a specific task done with a person or thing Bounty or bounties may also refer to: Geography * Bounty, Saskatchewan, a g ...

'', a full-rig ship lost off the North Carolina coast as

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

approached in 2012. * '' Concordia'', a triple-mast

barquentine A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. Modern barquentine sailing r ...

built in 1992 and operated by Canada as a school ship; lost at sea in 2010, in a squall. * '' Endeavour II'', built in 1968; wrecked in a 1971 gale off New Zealand * '' Fantome'', a former yacht built in 1927, then operated as a cruise ship. Was lost in

Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately 7,000 in Honduras and 3,800 in Nicaragua due to cataclysmic flooding from the slow motion ...

in 1998. * ''Lennie'', built in 1871, ran aground on

Digby Neck Digby Neck is a Canadian peninsula extending into the Bay of Fundy in Digby County, Nova Scotia. Digby Neck is the western extension of the North Mountain range from the Annapolis Valley and is made of two thick lava flows. It is separated from ...

in 1889.Lennie (+1889)
Wrecksite * '' Marques'', built in 1917; was lost in a 1984 Tall Ships Race.

Gallery

File:Alexander von Humboldt ship all sails.jpg, ''

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...

'' File:AmerigoVespucci.JPG, '' Amerigo Vespucci'' File:Belem(02).jpg, '' Belem'' File:Bounty Greenock.jpg, '' Bounty (1960 ship)'' File:CisneBranco07.jpg, ''

Cisne Branco } *''For the similarly named official march of the Brazilian Navy, see Cisne Branco (march)'' ''Cisne Branco'' is a tall ship of the Brazilian Navy based at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to diplomatic operations worldwide. The name means "white swan." ...

'' File:Tall ship Christian Radich under sail.jpg, ''

Christian Radich ''Christian Radich'' is a Norwegian full-rigged ship, named after a Norwegian shipowner. The vessel was built at Framnæs shipyard in Sandefjord, Norway, and was delivered on 17 June 1937. The owner was The Christian Radich Sail Training Foundati ...

'' File:US Navy 101021-N-7642M-317 USS Constitution returns to her pier after an underway to celebrate her 213th launching day anniversary.jpg, ''

USS Constitution USS ''Constitution'', also known as ''Old Ironsides'', is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship still afloat. She was launched in 1797, one of six original frigates authorized ...

'' File:UAM Creoula 20071106.jpg, ''

UAM Creoula UAM ''Creoula'' or NTM ''Creoula'' is a training ship of the Portuguese Navy, built in 1937 in the Companhia União Fabril (CUF) shipyards in Lisbon for the Parceria Geral de Pescarias fishing company. From 1937 to 1973 she was used in a total o ...

'' File:Cuauhtemoc 001.jpg, ''

ARM Cuauhtémoc (BE01) ARM ''Cuauhtémoc'' is a sail training vessel of the Mexican Navy, named for the last Mexica Hueyi Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc who was captured and executed in 1525. She is the last of four sister ships built by the naval shipyards of Bilbao, Spain, i ...

'' File:Denmark frigate SLV Green.jpg, '' Danmark'' File:Dar Mlodziezy2007.jpg, ''

Dar Młodzieży ''Dar Młodzieży'' ( pl, Gift of the Youth) is a Polish sail training ship designed by Zygmunt Choreń. A prototype of a class of six, the following five slightly-differing units were built subsequently by the same shipyard for the merchant fleet ...

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Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europe * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Cliff ...

File:ARC Gloria by Will White.png, ''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

'' File:Gorch-Fock-190806-1.jpg, '' Gorch Fock (I)'' File:Gorch-Fock 2 HFX 2007.jpg, ''Gorch Fock (II)'' File:Segelschulschiff Greif Hanse Sail 2008 (dark1).jpg, ''

Greif (brigantine) ''Greif'' is a brigantine, owned by the town Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was built in 1951 at Warnowwerft, Warnemünde/Rostock with a steel hull, launched May 26, 1951 and commissioned August 2, 1951. It was the first steel vessel ...

'' File:Juan Sebastián Elcano DN-SC-92-00851.jpg, ''Juan Sebastián Elcano'' File:Tallship in Toronto Harbour.jpeg, ''

Kajama ''Kajama'' is a three-masted former cargo schooner, that currently operates on Lake Ontario as a cruise ship. Ship history The ship was built at Nobiskrug shipyard in Rendsburg, Germany and launched on July 26, 1930, under the name ''Wilfried''. ...

'' File:Bristol hf04 tallships in harbour 03.jpg, '' Kaskelot'' File:Крузенштерн 10.JPG, Tall ship '' Kruzenshtern'' File:Kaiwo Maru II in yokohama japan.jpg, '' Kaiwo Maru II'' File:Kaliakra1.jpg,

Kaliakra Kaliakra ( bg, Калиакра; ro, Caliacra) is a cape in the Southern Dobruja region of the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, which ends with a long and narrow headland east of Kavarna, northeast of Varna and southwest of Mangalia. The ...

'' File:Khersones Kieler Woche 2005.jpg, '' Khersones'' File:Крузенштерн 10.JPG, ''Kruzenshtern'' File:LeeuwinII.jpg, ''Leeuwin II'' File:Libertad_2.jpg, ARA ''Libertad'' Image:Ml-full-sail.jpg, ''Maple Leaf'' File:Mercator op zee.jpg, ''

Mercator __NOTOC__ Mercator (Latin for "merchant") may refer to: People * Marius Mercator (c. 390–451), a Catholic ecclesiastical writer * Arnold Mercator, a 16th-century cartographer * Gerardus Mercator, a 16th-century cartographer ** Mercator 1569 ...

'' File:TallShipsRace 2003-Turku-fin Mir1.jpg, ''

Mir ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

'' File:Tall ships antwerp 2010 Morgenster.jpg, ''Morgenster'' File:Peacemaker.jpg, ''

Peacemaker Peacemaker or The Peacemaker (in various forms) may refer to: Individuals and groups * UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators * Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations inv ...

'' File:PictonCastle-AnchoredOffCarriacou-March14-09.jpg, ''

Picton Castle Picton Castle ( cy, Castell Pictwn) is a medieval castle near Haverfordwest in the community of Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Originally built at the end of the 13th century by a Flemish knight, it later came into the ha ...

'' File:Pogoria 2008-08-30.jpg, ''Pogoria'' File:PrinceWilliamAlongsideInFredrikstad.jpg, ''Rah Naward'' FIle:Roald Amundsen front view.jpg, ''

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...

'' File:RoyalAlbatross.jpg, '' Royal Albatross'' File:N.R.P. Sagres, navio-escola. Forças Armadas Marinha Portuguesa.jpg, N.R.P. ''Sagres'' File:Amsterdam Sail 2010 0819 Sedov 01.jpg, '' STS Sedov'' File:Rnov shabab oman under sails.jpg, ''

Shabab Oman Two ships of the Royal Navy of Oman The Royal Navy of Oman ( ar, البحرية السلطانية العمانية), abbreviated RNO, is the maritime component of the Royal Armed Forces of the Sultanate of Oman. Given its long coastline and st ...

'' File:Simon Bolivar (ship) 4.jpg, ''

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...

'' File:Sørlandet in Oslo 7jun2005.jpg, ''

Sørlandet Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any govern ...

'' File:Stad Amsterdam 2009c.jpg, ''

Stad Amsterdam The ''Stad Amsterdam'' (''City of Amsterdam'') is a three-masted clipper that was built in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 2000 at the Damen Shipyard. The ship was designed by Gerard Dijkstra who modelled her after the mid-19th century frigate '' ...

'' File:Statsraad Lehmkuhl and Lord Nelson.jpg, ''

Statsraad Lehmkuhl ''Statsraad Lehmkuhl'' is a three-masted barque rigged sail training vessel owned and operated by the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. It is based in Bergen, Norway and contracted out for various purposes, including serving as a school ship for the ...

'' File:StavrosNiarchosFullSailBrigMatchRace2003.JPG, '' Stavros S Niarchos'' File:INS Sudarshini.jpg, '' INS Sudarshini'' File:HMS-Surprise-overall.jpg, '' HMS Surprise'' File:Tarangini.jpg, ''

INS Tarangini INS ''Tarangini'' is a three-masted barque, commissioned in 1997 as a sail training ship for the Indian Navy. She is square rigged on the fore and main masts and fore-and-aft rigged on the mizzen mast. She was constructed in Goa to a design by th ...

'' File:B.A.P. Union..jpg, ''

BAP Unión BAP ''Unión'' (BEV-161) is a training ship of the Peruvian Navy built between 2012–2015 by Shipyard Marine Industrial Services of Peru, known as SIMA. It is a four-masted, steel-hulled, class "A" barque, composed of 38 steel modules. It has ...

'' File:Young Endeavour at FBE.jpg, ''

STS Young Endeavour STS ''Young Endeavour'' is an Australian tall ship. Built by Brooke Marine (which became Brooke Yachts during the vessel's construction), ''Young Endeavour'' was given to Australia by the British government in 1988, as a gift to celebrate Austr ...

References

External links

American Sail Training Association

Another World Adventures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tall Ship Lists of sailing ships Sailing rigs and rigging Ship types pl:Żaglowiec