Bulletin - United States National Museum (1960) (20319487100)

Title: Bulletin - United States National Museum
Identifier: bulletinunitedst2191960unit (find matches)
Year: 1877 (1870s)
Authors: United States National Museum; Smithsonian Institution; United States. Dept. of the Interior
Subjects: Science
Publisher: Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press, (etc. ); for sale by the Supt. of Docs. , U. S. Govt Print. Off.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries



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The 4-Masted Coasting Schooner A7;(^ Philip was built in 1886 at Camden, Maine. Her register dimensions were 211.0' x 42.5' x 20.4', 1,163.65 net tons. From a painting by VV. P. .Stubbs, 1888, in the Watercraft Collection (USNM 76108). (Smithsonian photo ^^6gi~b.) square sails. The foremast, in this period, had no gafT sail. It was common practice, in naval reports, to refer to the brigantine in abbreviation, "brig.," and gradually "brig" (with period omitted) was used when actually a "brigantine" was meant. When in the 18th century a main course was added to the brigantine, the resulting rig came to be called "brig" by lexicographers. A variation of this rig was the "snow," a 2-masted vessel rigged exactly like the "brig" that had by then developed, except that on the after side of the mainmast, was placed a pole, or small mast, on which a main fore-and-aft gaff- sail, or spanker, was set, an arrangement that allowed the main yard to be lowered without interfering with the main fore-and-aft sail, as it did on the brigs and brigantines. Curiously enough, the snow rig became the naval rig known as the "brig," so that after 1810 nearly all naval brigs were, in fact, snows! In the 19th century a fore-and-aft gaff-sail of small size was added on the foremast and the result was called "schooner brig" or "brig schooner" by some and finally, Ijy most seamen, hermaphrodite. To add to the confusion, the British Navy as late as 1812 rated as "brigantines" vessels having the lexicographers' "brig" rig. The American coasting brigantine was built in a variety of hull forms. The most common was that of the ordinary 2-masted topsail schooner, having a rather full entrance, long and often fine run, moderate sheer, slightly raking and flaring stem rabbet with a short and heavy cutwater, a somewhat raking stern- post, upper-and-lower raking transoms with round tuck, the rail quite full at the bow and the sides alinost parallel for most of the hull length. The midsection was formed with a slight rise in the straight floor, a full round bilge, and some tumble-home in the top- side. The high, raised quarterdeck, at main-rail height, was short and had solid bulwarks or the turned-stanchion-and-cap rail. Between 1820 and 1850 this was the most common New England coasting brigantine. To the southward the model used was that of the inodified Baltimore clipper until about 44