A Ship’S Sails And Rigging Top?

The rigging of a sailing vessel must work with the hull to fulfill its intended purpose. Modern ships are fore-and-aft rigged, while old ships are square-rigged. Rigs consist of the sails, masts, booms, yards, stays, and lines of a sailing vessel, or its cordage only. The mast, composed of one or many pieces of wood or metal, is the basis of all rigging.

There are two main types of rigs: the fore-and-aft rig and the square rig. A fore-and-aft rig is a sailing rig that primarily has the sails set along the ship’s fore and aft plane. Each rig can be described with a sail plan, which depicts the sails, spars, and rigging supporting the rig. A square rig is a type of sail and rigging arrangement where the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars perpendicular to the keel of the vessel.

A full-rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with a sail plan of three or more masts, all square-rigged. A lug rig is an evolution of the square and lateen rig, and a trapezoidal sail attached to a single yard at the top.

Sailing ship rigs can be divided into two broad categories: the fore and aft rig (left), where the sails lie along the same plane as the ship’s fore and aft rig (right). Holes in sails are made using a stabber or pegging-awl instrument and are fenced round by stitching the edge to a small grommet.

Poorly set up rigs are methodical and follow a logical pattern, with each sail having the same set of rigging elements. As a student building the Frigate Diana from Occre, I am trying to learn the terminology and purpose of various rigging elements.

What are the tops on a sailing ship?

The top on a traditional square rigged ship is the platform at the upper end of each (lower) mast.

The top on a traditional square rigged ship is the platform at the upper end of each (lower) mast. This is not the masthead “crow’s nest” of the popular imagination – above the mainmast (for example) is the main-topmast, main-topgallant-mast and main-royal-mast, so that the top is actually about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up the mast as a whole.

The main purpose of the top is to anchor the shrouds of the topmast that extends above it. Shrouds down to the side of the hull would be at too acute an angle from the mast, so crosstrees run sideways out from the mast to spread the topmast shrouds. These crosstrees rest on two trestle trees running fore and aft, which themselves are placed on top of the cheeks of hounds, bolted to the sides of the mast. Placing a few timbers onto the crosstrees produces a useful platform, the top. The futtock shrouds carry the load of the upper shrouds into the mast below.

At the upper end of the topmast and topgallant, there is a similar situation regarding the next mast up (topgallant and royal respectively). At these points a smaller top might be constructed, but it is more usual simply to leave the shroud-bearing struts open, in which case they are known as crosstrees.

What is the meaning of sails and rigging?

Everything on a sailboat or ship that holds the sails up is its rigging. The rigging typically includes masts and ropes.

Sometimes the term rigging is used for just about everything on a sailing vessel, including the sails themselves. You can also use this noun for the process of adjusting or setting up these parts, either on a ship or an airship, parachute, or hang-glider. Rigging comes from the verb rig, which was originally nautical and meant just “to fit with sails.”

Formation of masts, spars, sails, etc., on a vessel.

Gear consisting of ropes etc. supporting a ship’s masts and sails.

What is the top of a sailing ship called?

The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, giving necessary height to a navigation light, look-out position, signal yard, control position, radio aerial or signal lamp. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship. Nearly all sailing masts are guyed.

Until the mid-19th century, all vessels’ masts were made of wood formed from a single or several pieces of timber which typically consisted of the trunk of a conifer tree. From the 16th century, vessels were often built of a size requiring masts taller and thicker than from single tree trunks. On these larger vessels, to achieve the required height, the masts were built from up to four sections (also called masts). From lowest to highest, these were called: lower, top, topgallant, and royal masts. Giving the lower sections sufficient thickness necessitated building them up from separate pieces of wood. Such a section was known as a made mast, as opposed to sections formed from single pieces of timber, which were known as pole masts.

Those who specialised in making masts were known as mastmakers.

What is a ship with sails?

A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on 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, for instance some schooners. Still others employ a combination of square and fore-and-aft sails, including the barque, barquentine, and brigantine.

Early sailing ships were used for river and coastal waters in Ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean. The Austronesian peoples developed maritime technologies that included the fore-and-aft crab-claw sail and with catamaran and outrigger hull configurations, which enabled the Austronesian expansion into the islands of the Indo-Pacific. This expansion originated in Taiwan c. 3000 BC and propagated through Island Southeast Asia, reaching Near Oceania c. 1500 BC, Hawaii c. 900 AD, and New Zealand c. 1200 AD. The maritime trading network in the Indo-Pacific dates from at least 1500 BC.(failed verification) Later developments in Asia produced the junk and dhow—vessels that incorporated features unknown in Europe at the time.

European sailing ships with predominantly square rigs became prevalent during the Age of Discovery (15th to 17th centuries), when they crossed oceans between continents and around the world. In the European Age of Sail, a full-rigged ship was one with a bowsprit and three masts, each of which consists of a lower, top, and topgallant mast. Most sailing ships were merchantmen, but the Age of Sail also saw the development of large fleets of well-armed warships. The many steps of technological development of steamships during the 19th century provided slowly increasing competition for sailing ships — initially only on short routes where high prices could be charged. By the 1880s, ships with triple-expansion steam engines had the fuel efficiency to compete with sail on all major routes — and with scheduled sailings that were not affected by the wind direction. However, commercial sailing vessels could still be found working into the 20th century, although in reducing numbers and only in certain trades.

Is a rig a ship?

Offshore oil and gas production is complex, involving many different players and facets. Essentially, the industry involves two main tasks:extractingthe materials andtransferringthem to a refinery to be prepared for sale. These tasks involve two main types of different yet equally important equipment: vessels and platforms (also called rigs).

Platformsare stationary structures whilevesselsare large ships responsible for transporting oil, supplies, and personnel. However, some vessels, such as drilling rigs, obscure the line between vessel and platform by taking on the duties of both.

What Are Oil Platforms?. Colloquially known as oil rigs, oil platforms are large stationary structures placed offshore to extract, process, and temporarily store oil and natural gas until it is transported onshore. Most oil platforms are fixed to the ocean floor by braces or consist of an artificial island if large enough. Others, known as floating vessels, serve as processing and storage platforms for nearby stationary platforms. Maritime offshore oil platforms are some of the largest moveable structures in the world.

There are many different drilling and storage rigs:

What is a sail support called?

A mast is a pole that rises vertically from a ship and supports the sails. Really big sailboats have more than one mast. A mast is also another name for flagpole.

The mast has an important job — to support the sails, which allows the wind to propel the ship. Other types of masts are used to support flags and called flagpoles. If you’ve ever seen a flag at half-mast, it’s been lowered down the flagpole to show respect for someone who died. Mast is an old word meaning “pole or rod.”

The mast nearest the bow in vessels with two or more masts.

What is a sail rig?

The sail rig is determined by the number of masts and the layout and shape of the sails. Most modern ships are fore-and-aft rigged, while most older ships are square-rigged. Rigs with one mast are sloops and cutters. Ketches, yawls, brigs, and schooners have two masts, while barques have three masts. Rigs can contain up to seven masts.

The primary reason that most boats are fore-and-aft rigged today because this configuration provides increased maneuverability. A square-rigged ship is good for downwind runs, but a fore-and-aft rigged ship can sail close to the wind, using the lift to move forward. The way the sails are attached to the mast determines the shape of the sail. The square-rigged sails are always attached the same way to the mast. The fore-and-aft rig, however, has a lot of variations.

With that basic understanding, let’s look at some of the most common rigs for sailboats.. 1. Bermuda Sloop. This is the most common rig for modern small and mid-sized sailboats. The sloop has one mast and two sails, which are front-and-aft rigged. Sometimes the Bermuda Sloop is called a Marconi Rig. The Bermuda rig uses a triangular sail, with just one side of the sail attached to the mast. The mainsail is in use most of the time, however, it can be reefed down, (making it smaller) depending on the wind conditions. It can be reefed down completely, which is more common in heavy weather. In very strong winds (above 30 knots), most sailors only use the headsail or switch to a trysail.

What are excess sails and rigging called?

A studding sail is an extra sail hoisted alongside a square-rigged sail. It is named from the mast that it is set alongside: top-gallant studding sail, topmast studding sail and lower studding sail.: 234 These sails provide extra speed in fine weather.

• ^ Lees, James. The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War, 1625–1860. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-136-X.
• ^ MacGregor, David R.. Merchant sailing ships, 1815–1850: supremacy of sail. London: Conway. ISBN0-85177-294-3.
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• Greenhill, Basil. Sail’s Last Century: the Merchant Sailing Ship 1830–1930. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-565-9.
• ^ MacGregor, David R.. The Tea Clippers, Their History and Development 1833–1875. Conway Maritime Press Limited. ISBN0-85177-256-0.
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Harland, John. Seamanship in the age of sail. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-179-3.;

What is the top of a sail called?

Edges. The top of all sails is called the head, the leading edge is called the luff, the trailing edge is the leech, and the bottom edge is the foot. Head – The head is the upper edge of the sail, and is attached at the throat and peak to a gaff, yard, or sprit.

Yacht flying a triangular, symmetric spinnaker with tri-radial construction—panels radiating from all three corners.

Bermuda-rigged Yawl with triangular jib and main and mizzen sails with cross-cut construction—parallel panels, sewn together.

Sail components include the features that define a sail’s shape and function, plus its constituent parts from which it is manufactured. A sail may be classified in a variety of ways, including by its orientation to the vessel (e.g. fore-and-aft) and its shape, (e.g. (a)symmetrical, triangular, quadrilateral, etc.). Sails are typically constructed out of flexible material that is shaped by various means, while in use, to offer an appropriate airfoil, according to the strength and apparent direction of the wind. A variety of features and fittings allow the sail to be attached to lines and spars.

What is a ship’s rigging called?

There are two species of Rigging: one called STANDING-RIGGING; the other RUNNING-RIGGING.

Ropes used to sustain the masts remain fixed; as shrouds, stays, and back-stays: such are called standing-rigging.

The ropes leading through various blocks, and to different places of the masts, yards, sails, and shrouds, and which are moved according to the various operations of navigation, such as the lifts, braces, sheets, tacks, haliards, clue-lines, bunt-lines, leech-lines, bow-lines, spilling-lines, brails, down-haulers, &c. are called running-rigging.

These general ideas of rigging may suffice. For the more easy and accurate knowledge of this science we now commence with an.

What is the meaning of top sails?

ˈtäp-səl. 1. : the sail next above the lowermost sail on a mast in a square-rigged ship. 2. : the sail set above and sometimes on the gaff in a fore-and-aft rigged ship.

: the sail next above the lowermost sail on a mast in a square-rigged ship.

: the sail set above and sometimes on the gaff in a fore-and-aft rigged ship.

Recent Examples on the Web An hour later, Bernier was above deck on the topsail of the submarine with an M-60 machine gun. —BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2021 Help hoist the sails of the Schooner Freedom, a massive topsail schooner captained by John and Sarah Zaruba. —Kara Franker, Southern Living, 30 June 2020 But nautical history buffs – and others – can sail on a replica of this 102-foot-long, square-rigged topsail sloop from its home at the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven out into Lake Michigan until the end of September. —Brian E. Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 22 June 2018 Most people today associate billowing topsails with pirates. —Jennifer Larino, NOLA.com, 6 Mar. 2018 Moreland, who has more than 30 years experience sailing topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques, as well as five world voyages under his belt, said the Picton Castle will be hosting a range of school groups on the vessel. —Jennifer Larino, NOLA.com, 6 Mar. 2018.