Types of ships: names with photos

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Currently, a warship is called a ship. Tankers, bulk carriers, dry cargo ships, passenger liners, container ships, icebreakers and other representatives of the technical fleet of civil or merchant fleets are not included in this category. But once, at the dawn of shipping, when humanity was still filling the white spaces on the sailing directions with the vague outlines of new islands and even continents, any sailboat was considered a ship. On board each of them were guns, and the team consisted of desperate fellows, ready to do anything for the sake of profit and romance of distant wanderings. Then, in these troubled centuries, there was a division into types of ships. The list, taking into account modern additions, would be very long, so it is worth focusing on sailboats. Well, maybe add some rowboats.

Galleys

To get on them is an unenviable share. Such a punishment in ancient times awaited inveterate criminals. And in ancient Egypt, and in Finland, and in Hellas they already were. Over time, other types of ships appeared, but galleys were used until the Middle Ages. The same convicts served as the main driving force, but they were sometimes helpedsails, straight or triangular, mounted on two or three masts. According to modern concepts, these ships were not large, their displacement was only 30-70 tons, and the length rarely exceeded 30 meters, but in those days the size of the ships was not gigantic at all. The rowers sat in rows, according to historians, no more than three horizontal tiers. The armament of the galleys is represented by ballistae and bow rams; in later centuries, these weapons were supplemented by artillery. The move, that is, the speed of movement, was controlled by the overseers, setting the rhythm with special tambourines, and, if necessary, with a whip.

Barks

Types of sailing ships are little known to our contemporaries, but some of them are still familiar from regularly held parades and international regattas. The barges Sedov and Kruzenshtern have been preserved in Russia. These ships not only demonstrate their beauty to the whole world, but also contribute to the education of young sailors who practice on them in the traditions of the Russian Navy.

So, a barque (the name of the species comes from the Flemish word "bark") is a ship with three to five masts. All of her sails are straight, with the exception of the oblique rigging of the mizzen (stern mast). Barges are quite large ships, for example, the Kruzenshtern has a length of about 115 meters, a width of 14 meters, a crew of 70 people. Since it was built in 1926, when steam engines were already widespread, its design also includes an auxiliary power plant with a capacity of almost one and a half thousandkilowatt, loaded on two constant pitch propellers. Even today the speed of the ship does not seem low; under sail, the speed of this barge reaches 17 knots. The purpose of the type, in general, is common for the merchant fleet of the 19th century - the delivery of mixed cargo, mail and passengers along sea lines.

Brigantine raises sails

In fact, the same barges, but with two masts, are called brigantines. All types of ships differ in their purpose and navigational qualities. Brigantines stand out for their speed and lightness. Sailing equipment is mixed, on the fore (front mast) the sails are straight, and on the mainsail oblique. Favorite ship of pirates of all seas. Historical sources mention brigantines with the so-called "Bermuda grotto", that is, a triangular sail stretched between the lyktros and the luff, but none of the surviving representatives of the species can boast of it. However, these nuances are of interest only to specialists.

Frigates

As the fleet developed, some types of warships appeared, others disappeared, and still others took on a different meaning. A frigate is an example. This concept survived later types such as ironclads, dreadnoughts and even battleships. True, a modern frigate roughly corresponds to the Soviet concept of a large anti-submarine ship, but it sounds shorter and somehow more beautiful. In the original sense, it means a three-masted ship with one artillery deck for 20-30 guns. By the word "frigate" since the XVII century for a long timethe adjective "Dunkirk" was added, meaning the predominant use in a separate zone of the maritime theater of operations adjacent to the Pas de Calais. This type was fast. Then, as the radius of autonomy increased, they began to be called simply frigates. Displacement - average for that time, about 800-1000 tons. The most famous Russian frigate was called "Pallada", on it in 1855 a glorious expedition was undertaken to the shores of East Asia under the command of Admiral E. V. Putyatin.

Caravels

“She passed like a caravel…” - is sung in a famous pop song. It is not harmful to study the types of sailing ships before writing lyrics for future hits. The compliment turned out to be somewhat ambiguous. Not every girl wants to be compared with a lifting, large and rather heavy vessel. In addition, the nose of the caravel is turned up high, which can also be seen as an undesirable hint.

However, basically this type, of course, has good seaworthiness. He is most famous for the fact that Columbus made his expedition to the shores of the New World precisely on three caravels ("Santa Maria", "Pinta" and "Nina"). Outwardly, they can be distinguished by the mentioned raised tanks (bow superstructures), as well as by sailing equipment. There are three masts, with straight foresails, and the rest with latin (oblique) sails.

Destination - long sea and transoceanic trips.

The Russian word "ship" is morphologically derived from the word "caravel". It gave the name to the famous French passengerairliner, very beautiful.

Clippers

All types of ships are created for fast sailing. Ship names are not always remembered, but there are exceptions. Someone will say the word "cruiser", and then everyone around will think something - some "Aurora", others "Varyag". As for the clippers, there is only one option - "Cutty Sark". This vessel with a long and narrow hull has gone down in history for several reasons, but its main and most important quality was its speed. It was the lot of clippers and their crews to deliver tea from China, quickly bring mail to distant colonies, and carry out especially delicate tasks for the queen. And these ships did their work until the advent of steamships, and in some cases even later.

Galleons

Looking through the ancient types of warships, one cannot help but recall the Great Armada, which competed with the British fleet in the 16th century. The main unit of this formidable force was the Spanish galleon. Not a single sailing ship of that time could compare in perfection with it. At its core, this is an improved caravel, with a reduced superstructure of the tank (that very “upturned nose” has practically disappeared) and an elongated hull. As a result, the old Spanish shipbuilders achieved increased stability, reduced wave resistance and, as a result, increased speed. Maneuverability has also improved. Other types of warships of the 16th century looked shorter and too high next to the galleon (this was a disadvantage, it was easier to hit such a target). Outline poop (stern superstructure)acquired a rectangular shape, and the conditions of the crew became more comfortable. It was on the galleons that the first latrines (latrines) appeared, hence the origin of the word.

The displacement of these "battleships of the 16th century" ranged from 500 to 2 thousand tons. Finally, they were very beautiful, they were decorated with intricate carvings, and the nose was crowned with a majestic sculpture.

Schooners

There are types of large ships that have become "workhorses" designed to carry a wide variety of goods. Schooners occupy a special place among them. These are multi-masted vessels, distinguished by the fact that at least two of their rigs are oblique. They are topsail, staysail, Bermuda or hafel, depending on which masts are equipped with slanting sails. In this case, it should be borne in mind that the line between a two-masted brahmsel or topsail schooner and a brigantine is very conditional. This type has been known since the 17th century. He reached the greatest distribution in the American merchant fleet, in particular, Wolf Larsen, the character of Jack London, with his team hunts fur seals on a schooner. Compared to it, other types of ships are more difficult to manage (According to J. London, this process is accessible even to a lone sailor). Most often, the schooners were two- and three-masted, but there are cases when the equipment was much more numerous. A peculiar record was set in 1902 when a ship with seven masts was launched (Thomas Double Lawson, Quincy Shipyard).

Other types of ships

Photosailboats that arrived at the international regatta from all over the world is published in newspapers, magazines and websites. Such a parade is always an event, the beauty of these ships is incomparable with anything. Barges, brigantines, corvettes, frigates, clippers, caches, yachts represent all types of ships, which, fortunately, have survived to this day. This spectacle distracts from everyday life and takes the viewer to the past centuries, full of adventures and romance of distant wanderings. A real sailor must master the art of sailing navigation, as they say in many countries, including ours. Having climbed up the shrouds, unfolded the sails and breathed in the free wind of the sea, you can take your seats at the modern control panels of bulk carriers, bulk carrier tankers and cruise liners. You can safely trust such a sailor with the fate of the cargo and the lives of passengers, he will not let you down.