Square rig is a generic type of sail plan in which a sailing ship's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars that are perpendicular (or ) to the median plane of the keel and masts of the vessel. These spars are called and their tips, outside the lifts, are called the .[Oxford English Dictionary] A ship mainly rigged so is called a square-rigger.
In "Jackspeak" (Royal Navy slang), it also refers to the dress uniform of junior Naval rating.
History
Single sail square rigs were used by the ancient Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Celts. Later the Scandinavians, the Germanic peoples, and the Slavs adopted the single square-rigged sail, with it becoming one of the defining characteristics of the classic "Viking" ships.
[The Viking ship's single square-rigged sail. http://Longshipco.org/sail.html Retrieved 2018-8-20]
See also
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Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)
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Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)
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Fore-and-aft rig
External links
