A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigging sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail , , and . "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival.
History
Traditional rigging may include
and
, usually with separate topmasts and
. 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;
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.
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 waterline 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-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 (LOA)", in this case STI LOA excludes
bowsprit and aft spar. STI defines LOA as "Length overall measured from the fore side of stem post
to aft side of stern post, counter or transom".
[
STI Measurement form. ]
| + Class A Tall Ships |
|
| 10.8 |
| 8.9 |
| 15.8 |
| 8.8 |
| 13.65 |
| 7.9 |
| 9.7 |
| 10.7 |
| 13.26 |
| 8.9 |
| 9.9 |
| 12.0 |
| 10.1 |
| 14.0 |
| 9.4 |
| 14 |
| 11.9 |
| 12.2 |
| 8.5 |
| 13.1 |
| 9.2 |
| 7.3 |
| 7.9 |
| 8.5 |
| 10.7 |
| 7.5 |
| 11.9 |
| 11.9 |
| 7.4 |
| 8.2 |
| 10.4 |
| 7.9 |
| 9.16 |
| 8.9 |
| 9.5 |
| 6.7 |
| 13.1 |
| 8.5 |
|
Galeon Andalucia || ||2010 ||3 ||Galleon || 51 ||10.2>
| 13.8 |
| 7.9 |
| 14.0 |
| 14.0 |
| 9.0 |
| 13.7 |
| 6.06 |
| 8.5 |
| 11.9 |
| 8.9 |
| 14.0 |
| 12.5 |
| 6.0 |
| 9.8 |
| 13.8 |
| 7.5 |
| 10.1 |
| 14.0 |
| 10.4 |
| 7.3 |
| 7.9 |
| 9.9 |
| 7.2 |
| 7.6 |
| 16.5 |
| 11.9 |
| 9.9 |
| 14.6 |
| 8.5 |
| 10.4 |
| 9.6 |
| 9.0 |
| 10.5 |
| 12.6 |
| 10.7 |
| 9.9 |
| 8.5 |
| 9.8 |
| 8.5 |
| 6.5 |
| 7.3 |
| 13.5 |
| 8.5 |
| 7.2 |
| 7.8 |
| + Historical |
|
| Sold 2011/ relocated to Caribbean, 2013 returned to Germany; currently docked |
| Sank 2012 |
| Sank 2010 |
| Burned 1963 |
| Sold (2010); now a sail training ship of the Pakistan Navy with the name Rah Naward |
| Replaced by the third Sagres in 1961. Sold (1983); now permanently moored in Hamburg, Germany with the name Rickmer Rickmers |
| Museum ship, moored in Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Museum ship, moored in Buenos Aires, Argentina |
|
Class B
Traditionally rigged vessels (i.e. gaff rigged
,
,
and
) 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 |
|
| 4.8 |
| 5.03 |
| 4.89 |
| 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 rig rigged vessels of 160′ (48.8 m) (LOA) and over". By LOA they meant length excluding
bowsprit 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, 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.
-
STV Astrid ran aground in 2013 off Ireland, and then broke up in 2014 after being salvaged
-
Bounty, a full-rig ship lost off the North Carolina coast as Hurricane Sandy approached in 2012.
-
Concordia, a triple-mast barquentine 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 in 1998.
-
Lennie, built in 1871, ran aground on Digby Neck in 1889.
[ Lennie (+1889) Wrecksite]
-
Bark Marques, built in 1917; was lost in a 1984 Tall Ships Race.
Gallery
File:Alexander von Humboldt ship all sails.jpg| Alexander von Humboldt
File:AmerigoVespucci.JPG| Amerigo Vespucci
File:Belem(02).jpg| Belem
File:Bounty Greenock.jpg| Bounty (1960 ship)
File:CisneBranco07.jpg| Cisne Branco
File:Tall ship Christian Radich under sail.jpg| Christian Radich
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
File:UAM Creoula 20071106.jpg| UAM Creoula
File:Cuauhtemoc 001.jpg| ARM Cuauhtémoc (BE01)
File:Denmark frigate SLV Green.jpg| Danmark
File:Dar Mlodziezy2007.jpg| Dar Młodzieży
File:Dewaruci.jpg|KRI Dewaruci
File:USCG Eagle.jpg|USCGC Eagle
File:040731_061_earl.jpg| Earl of Pembroke
File:Eendracht II.JPG| Eendracht
File:Elissa-ship.jpg| Elissa
File:'Europa' in Belfast Lough - Tall Ships Belfast 2009 - geograph.org.uk - 1446281.jpg|Europa
File:ARC Gloria by Will White.png| ARC Gloria
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)
File:Juan Sebastián Elcano DN-SC-92-00851.jpg| Juan Sebastián Elcano
File:Tallship in Toronto Harbour.jpeg| Kajama
File:Bristol hf04 tallships in harbour 03.jpg| Kaskelot
File:Kaiwo Maru II in yokohama japan.jpg| Kaiwo Maru II
File:Kaliakra1.jpg| Kaliakra
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
File:TallShipsRace 2003-Turku-fin Mir1.jpg| STS Mir
File:Tall ships antwerp 2010 Morgenster.jpg| Morgenster
File:Peacemaker.jpg| Peacemaker
File:PictonCastle-AnchoredOffCarriacou-March14-09.jpg| Picton Castle
File:Pogoria 2008-08-30.jpg| Pogoria
File:PrinceWilliamAlongsideInFredrikstad.jpg| Rah Naward
FIle:Roald Amundsen front view.jpg| Roald Amundsen
File:RoyalAlbatross.jpg| Royal Albatross
File:Royal-clipper.jpg| Royal Clipper
File:N.R.P. Sagres, navio-escola. Forças Armadas Marinha Portuguesa.jpg|Sagres III
File:Amsterdam Sail 2010 0819 Sedov 01.jpg| STS Sedov
File:Rnov shabab oman under sails.jpg| Shabab Oman
File:Simon Bolivar (ship) 4.jpg| Simón Bolívar
File:Sørlandet in Oslo 7jun2005.jpg| Sørlandet
File:Stad Amsterdam 2009c.jpg| Stad Amsterdam
File:Statsraad Lehmkuhl and Lord Nelson.jpg| Statsraad Lehmkuhl
File:StavrosNiarchosFullSailBrigMatchRace2003.JPG| Stavros S Niarchos
File:INS Sudarshini.jpg| INS Sudarshini
File:HMS-Surprise-overall.jpg| HMS Surprise
File:Tarangini.jpg| INS Tarangini
File:B.A.P. Union..jpg| BAP Unión
File:Young Endeavour at FBE.jpg| STS Young Endeavour
See also
-
American Sail Training Association
-
Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race
-
Iron-hulled sailing ship
-
Jubilee Sailing Trust
-
List of large sailing vessels
-
Operation Sail
-
Sail training
-
SAIL Amsterdam
-
Tall Ships Challenge
-
Tall Ship Chronicles
-
Tall Ships Youth Trust
-
The Tall Ships' Races
-
Windjammer
Further reading
-
American Sail Training Association; Sail Tall Ships! (American Sail Training Association; 16th edition, 2005 )
-
Thad Koza; Tall Ships: A Fleet for the 21st Century (Tide-Mark Press; 3rd edition, 2002; )
External links
