Two-masted schooner with straight sails. Classification of sailing ships

They appeared, according to historians, about 3000 years ago in Ancient Egypt. Images of such ancient ships are available, among other things, on artifact vases and camphors. The design of the world's first ships, of course, was as simple as possible. But later the watercraft were gradually improved.

The design of the brig ship. Short description

Sailing ships, as you know, can have a different number of masts. Such ships can be equipped with them in quantities of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 pieces. A brig is a ship with two masts and straight sails. On board a military vessel of this type there can be from 6 to 24 guns.

Sailing rigs are rigging systems that transmit wind energy to the hull. The brig's fore and main masts are responsible for moving through the water. Such ships do not have mizzen masts.

One of the sails - the gaff - is oblique on the brigs. It has an irregular trapezoidal shape and helps the ship maneuver. This type of sail is called a mainsail-gaff-trisail.

Design features of the first ships

The first floating devices used by people were very simple. Movement was carried out using oars. Also in ancient times, small cargo ships were quite widespread. They were moved through the water by workers or animals walking along the shore.

Somewhat later, people began to use sailboats for river and sea travel. For example, such boats were widespread in Phenicia in ancient times.

Of course, the first sailing ships were single-masted and relatively small in size. Ships of this design were used by people for a very long time - until the end of the Middle Ages.

Three-masted ships

The simplest boats were quite easy to use and made it possible to transport a large amount of cargo. However, with the development of trade and military craft in the Renaissance, people, of course, began to miss their potential.

It would be more logical to assume that immediately after single-mast ships, sailors began to use two-masted ships. But that's not true. The next type of ship used by man was a three-masted ship with a mizzen mast. In the 16th-17th centuries, there were practically no two-masted watercraft in the world. This situation persisted for a century and a half.

The first two-masted ships

Of course, attempts were made to make such vehicles in those days. But the implementation of plans for assembling two-masted ships was hampered by the then shipbuilding traditions:

Special body shape.

The tradition is to place the mainmast in the middle of the ship.

Shnyavs and billanders

All two-masted ships of those times, unfortunately, were poorly controlled. But ultimately, people still learned to build comfortable and fast ships of this type. The first such two-masted ships were Shnyava and Bilander.

The last type of watercraft was used mainly by merchants. Bilanders first appeared in the Netherlands, and were later adopted by the French and British. Such ships were not used for long voyages. Merchants transported goods on them mainly only in coastal waters. The rigging of ships of this type, like others in Europe at that time, was made of hemp cables of multiple laying.

Shnyavs began to be used by people to travel on water around 1700. History, unfortunately, is silent about who first invented and designed these ships. Presumably, the mizzen mast was simply removed from ordinary ships at some point. Ships of this type could be used as both merchant and military ships.

The first brigs

How and when did brigs actually appear in the history of navigation? Ships, including two-masted ones, used by people in the 17th-18th centuries, of course, also gradually improved. Ultimately, sailors began to sail on a special type of boat - langar.

Ships of this type were practically brigs. On such vessels the mainmast was tilted slightly forward. This was an important change. There was also an independent gaff sail. This innovation improved the characteristics of the watercraft.

Actually, brig ships of the usual design appeared in the fleet around the middle of the 18th century. Such vessels were especially widely used in the 19th century. There were ships of this type in those days, of course, in the Russian fleet.

Brigs in the 18th century: what they were used for

In the middle of the 18th century. such ships belonged mainly to merchants. They transported a variety of goods. Most often, such ships plied in the coastal waters of Europe and Great Britain. During wars, watercraft of this type were most often used as postal vessels. But by the end of the 18th century, brigs found another, more interesting use in navigation as convenient sailing ships.

Ships of this type then began to be used by people in various kinds of research sea expeditions. Vitus Bering was the first to make a voyage to North America on such a ship. Two such ships took part in this journey:

"Holy Apostle Paul";

"Holy Apostle Peter."

Both of these brigs reached the shores of Alaska, but only one of them returned home. Vitus Bering on the ship "Pavel", unfortunately, crashed in the area of ​​​​the Commander Islands. The ship's crew then escaped. However, not all members of the expedition managed to survive the forced winter in the harsh climate. Bering himself and 18 other sailors never returned to their homeland.

Brigs in the 19th century: description of ships

Even later, such vessels were almost completely transformed from research and commercial vessels into military ones. For example, such ships took an active part in the naval battles of the American Revolution and the Russian-Turkish War.

According to historical documents, the brig ship of the early 19th century. had a displacement of about 350 tons. Moreover, the length of such ships was usually 30 m, and the width almost never exceeded 9 m. Guns on military ships of this type, as already mentioned, could be installed from 6 to 24.

One of the features of brigs, therefore, was their small size. Accordingly, the weapons themselves on ships of this type were usually placed on the deck.

Brigantine as a variety

In sailing times, of course, such ships were also widely used. Brigantines were a simplified version of brigs. Such ships were medium or small in size. Moreover, the foremast of such ships was armed in the same way as that of a brig. This was the main similarity between these courts.

The mainmast on brigantines was installed the same as on schooners. The dimensions of ships of this type were smaller than those of brigs. At the same time, they were inferior to such ships in terms of military equipment. In the Mediterranean Sea, ships of this type were very often used by pirates. Even the word “brigantine” itself does not come from “brig,” as one might think, but from “robber” - brigand.

Famous brigs

Sailboats of this type have served people faithfully for more than a hundred years. In addition to the “Paul” and “Peter”, the following brig ships can be considered the most famous in the entire history of use:

"Niagara".

"Mercury".

Also quite a famous sailing brig is the American Lady Washington.

"Mercury": what is it famous for

This ship was laid down in Sevastopol in the winter of 1819. It was launched into the water in the spring of 1820. Nine years later, this brig won a brilliant victory in one of the battles of the Russian-Turkish War in an unequal struggle with two enemy battleships. These two ships were called “Real Bay” and “Selimiye”. They were armed with a total of 184 guns versus the Mercury's 18.

Chronology of the battle

A battle took place between a Russian and two Turkish ships on May 14, 1829. On this day, three Russian warships - the frigate "Standart", the brigs "Orpheus" and "Mercury" - were cruising abeam Penderaklia. When the commanders of these sailing ships saw a huge Turkish squadron on the horizon, they decided to turn towards Sevastopol, since there was no particular need to accept an unequal battle.

However, the wind that day was weak, and the Mercury, which had worse driving characteristics, could not escape the pursuit. The ship was overtaken by two of the largest and fastest enemy ships.

The Mercury team had to take on an unequal battle. At the same time, Captain A. Kazarsky, on the advice of the oldest sailor - navigational lieutenant Prokofiev - decided to fight to the end, and when the spar was knocked down (this device for setting sails, as well as the rigging of ships of almost any design is the Achilles heel) and the brig would give a strong flow, connect with one of the enemy ships and blow it up.

The Mercury was the first to attack Selimiye with 110 guns. This huge sailing ship tried to approach the stern of the Russian ship. However, the brig managed to dodge and fire a full salvo at the enemy’s sides.

A few minutes later, Real Bay approached the port side of the Mercury, and the Russian ship found itself sandwiched between two enemy ships. The Turks from the Selimiye shouted to the brig’s crew: “Surrender!” However, the Russian sailors shouted “Hurray!!!” opened fire from all guns and guns.

The Turks had to remove the boarding crew and begin to fire at the brig Mercury. Not only cannonballs were thrown into the ship, but also cannonballs and nipples. Fortunately, despite the heavy fire, the ship's masts remained intact for a long time, and it remained mobile. Due to the shelling, fires broke out on the Mercury three times, which the sailors quickly extinguished.

Victory

Gunner Ivan Lisenko provided a respite for the brig under fire. With a successful shot, he managed to damage the bayfoot and the water-rods of the main-tops-yard "Selimiye". The enemy ship had to be brought to the wind for repairs. Finally, the Selimiye fired a salvo at the Russian ship from all guns at once. However, the ship still remained afloat.

After some time, the crew of the brig Mercury managed to inflict serious damage on the second enemy ship. The Real Bey's fore-frame was broken, which caused the foxes to fall. The latter closed the ports of the bow guns. In addition, the ship lost the ability to maneuver, as a result of which it had to drift.

Having lost 10 people killed and wounded out of 115, the Mercury joined the fleet sailing from Sizopol by the evening of the next day. For the victory won at the cost of the sailors' lives, this ship was subsequently awarded the stern St. George's flag. The emperor also signed a decree to always have a brig called “Mercury” in the Black Sea Fleet.

Of course, all team members received high awards. The officers were promoted in rank and from now on could put on their coats of arms the image of that Tula pistol, which was supposed to explode barrels of gunpowder in the event of a leak.

What is the brig Niagara famous for?

This ship once played a decisive role in the battle between British and American ships in the 1912-14 war. on Lake Erie. The tactics in this battle were dictated by the characteristics of the weapons of the enemy ships. The Yankees' short corronades were rapid-fire and provided advantages in close combat. They had a short firing range. Therefore, it was important for the Americans to “win” the wind and take a better position at a distance against the long-barreled guns of the British.

While the Yankees were maneuvering in this way, one of their two brigs, the Lawrence, was attacked by three of the strongest English ships. Almost all the sailors of this ship were killed or wounded, and the guns were damaged. The captain of the attacked ship moved to the second American brig, Niagara, on a boat, and sent it to the center of the British battle line. As a result, the largest British sailing ships found themselves in the zone affected by the corronades. This, in turn, led to the fact that the British could no longer cope with the Yankee fleet, and after 15 minutes they lowered their flags.

Thus, for the first time, the Americans defeated the British in a naval battle, capturing their ships. Some British ships tried to escape, but were intercepted. The least damaged of the British ships were subsequently converted by the Americans into hospital ships. The remaining watercraft, since it was no longer possible to repair them, were simply burned. The hospital ships of the former enemy did not serve the Americans for too long. After some time, they all sank in a strong storm.

"Pirates of the Caribbean"

This popular series, as you know, was filmed using sailing ships. In the Curse of the Black Pearl series, the role of the Interceptor was played by a brig, which is a copy of the Lady Washington. This ship was built in 1750 and once transported goods from China across the Pacific Ocean. In 1775 it was converted into a military privateer. That is, his team was engaged in pirate seizures of enemy ships at the direction of the government.

One of the feats of this legendary sailing brig was the victory over four enemy ships at once and the capture of a large cargo of sugar. One of the captains of this ship was Robert Gray, the first American to circumnavigate the world. Among other things, this ship is the first American watercraft to reach the shores of Japan.

Of course, the film is not based on the real brig Lady Washington. It was an exact copy of this ship, built in 1989. Today, this ship is used for sailing cruises in the Caribbean and along the coast of America. The ancient brig Lady Washington itself once sank in the Philippine Islands.

What other two-masted sailboats exist?

In addition to brigs, brigantines, shnivas and bilanders, ships of this type plied the seas at different times:

• yola - ships with a mizzen mast located next to the rudder and oblique sailing equipment;
• ketches are ships that differ from yols by having a larger mizzen mast.

Also, sailors once sailed on ships with two masts and slanting sails, called Bermuda schooners.

A frigate was a three-masted warship that carried up to 60 guns in one row. Frigates were smaller than battleships and carried less artillery, but were superior in speed. The main goals of frigates were solo voyages and the capture of merchant ships, both far from the coast and in close proximity to ports. Frigates were indispensable during military operations on sea communications. Frigates were also used in operations against pirates. The length of the hull was 50-80 meters, width - 10-15 meters. Armament - 40-70 guns, crew of up to 450 people, displacement - 1500-2500 tons.

A three-masted sailing vessel with a straight sail on the front mast (foresail) and a slanting sail on the rear mast (mainsail). In the second half of the 18th century, a light straight sail was added to the main topmast, and then the main mast yard was also modernized. 6-12 small-caliber guns were installed on the upper deck. The main purpose of the brigantine was reconnaissance. The brigantine had high speed and good maneuverability, which made it attractive to pirates. The more spacious and larger hull of the brigantine compared to sloops and schooners made it possible to stay at sea longer and transport more prey. The length of the brigantine reached 60 meters, the displacement was 1250150 tons, and the crew numbered 100 or more people.

A barque is a type of ship identified by its sailing rig. The barque would have been one of the most common ships among pirates if it had appeared a little earlier, during the time of Morgan and Kidd. It was a three-masted ship, the two front ones were armed with straight sails, and the rear ones were equipped with oblique sails. Barks could not be called small vessels, but they were valued not for their compact size, but for their speed. In addition, the armament of the barks made it possible not to be afraid of encounters with warships. Unfortunately, this type of ship appeared at a time when most countries began an active fight against pirates. A typical barque was about 18-35 meters long, armed with 20 guns or 12 mortars and could carry at least 120 passengers. In addition to pirates, this ship was also widely used by the military for the exact opposite purpose - to fight pirates. 80 crew members and a dozen guns made it possible to fight pirate ships on an equal footing. The closest types of ships for a barque were the brigantine and barquentine.

A ship of the sailing fleet of the 18th - mid-19th centuries, it was intended for reconnaissance, messenger service, and cruising operations. In the 1st half of the 18th century. a two-masted and then three-masted ship with direct sails, a displacement of 400-600 tons, with open (20-32 guns) or closed (14-24 guns) batteries. Corvettes were indispensable in the fight against pirates, when their light ships went into shallow water and became out of range of fire from the guns of heavy and deep-seated frigates and battleships.

A galleon is a sailing ship of the 15th-17th centuries, which became the predecessor of a battleship. Galleons formed the basis of the military fleets of the leading maritime powers. The galleon's hull had a pointed shape, with the width of the hull being one third of its length. The main difference between the galleon was that the guns were installed not only on the upper deck, but also on the second row. The lower row of guns was closed with ports. Due to the additional row of guns, the internal spaces were reduced to a minimum and the galleons could not transport any significant cargo. For additional protection, shooting tops were installed on the tops of the masts. But the absence of high superstructures allowed the galleons to sail more steeply into the wind and develop greater speed. The bow superstructure was moved back and did not hang over the stem, like a karakka. The stern superstructure, high and narrow, was placed on the cut-off stern. The superstructure had several tiers that housed living quarters for officers and passengers. The heavily canted sternpost had a transom above the load waterline. On the rear side, the aft wall of the superstructure was decorated with carvings and balconies. Depending on the displacement, galleons were built with a number of decks from two to seven. The side of the ship from the keel to the load waterline had a large camber, and towards the upper deck there was a blockage. At the same time, several problems were solved: the carrying capacity increased, the transition from ship to ship during boarding became more difficult, stability increased, since the guns moved closer to the centerline of the ship and thereby the heeling moment decreased; the force of the impact of the waves on the side was softened, since the wave was reflected upward, and the hull did not experience its direct impact. The displacement of galleons reached 1000 tons, the hull length was more than 50 meters, and the armament amounted to 50-80 guns, installed for the first time both above and below the main deck, on special weapon decks. In addition, great importance was attached to shooting from muskets, for which there were special loopholes along the sides. The forward masts were armed with straight sails, and the mizzen carried a single slanting sail. One of the most famous galleons, Francis Drake's Golden Hind had a length of 18 meters, a width of 6 meters and was one of the smallest ships of its class. Galleons had a speed of up to 8 knots, but this was less than the speed of pirate sloops and schooners. Thanks to the gain in speed, the pirates tried to attack the galleons from corners closed to shooting and tried to board the clumsy ships.

1) A two-masted sea vessel with straight sails.

2) A class of two-masted sailing combat ships of the 18th – 19th centuries, used for cruising, patrol and messenger services.

"Agamemnon"– brig, was built in 1834, armed with 20 guns. Removed from the navy lists in 1862.

“Ajax” – brig, was built in 1843, armed with 20 guns.

"Diomede"– brig, was built in 1831, armed with 20 guns. Removed from the navy lists in 1858.

"Nestor"– brig, was built in 1835, armed with 20 guns. Crashed in 1847 near Fr. Stensher.

"Paris"– brig, was built in 1843, armed with 20 guns. Removed from the navy lists in 1860.

"Patroclus"– brig, was built in 1831, armed with 20 guns. Dismantled in Kronstadt in 1845.

"Royalist"- British brig launched in 1971

"Roald Amundsen"(Roald Amundsen) – German brig, built in 1952 (participant in the international training regatta)

An aircraft carrier is the largest modern military surface ship, on board which can accommodate several units of aircraft. Deck-based aviation (airplanes and helicopters) is the main type of combat impact of an aircraft carrier; in addition, it has anti-aircraft missile launchers and artillery with a caliber of 76-127 mm.

The first aircraft carriers appeared during the World War of 1914-1918. Back then, they usually carried no more than 2-3 pieces of equipment on board. In World War II, real floating airfields took part, carrying dozens of aircraft. Aircraft carriers were mainly used by the US and Japanese navies.

Modern aircraft carriers are divided into attack and anti-submarine carriers; conventional and atomic. The purpose of attack aircraft carriers is to destroy ground targets and ground forces, destroy ships and vessels at sea and at bases, aircraft at airfields and in the air, ensure amphibious landings and protect ocean communications. Anti-submarine aircraft carriers are designed to search for and destroy submarines.

Bulk carrier (from the English “bulkcarrier” - mass carrier) is a vessel with a large carrying capacity. Unlike tankers, bulk carriers are dry cargo ships, and the cargo they carry is not in bulk or bulk containers. Depending on the type of cargo transported, bulk carriers are divided into coal carriers, ore carriers, timber carriers, etc.

Modern bulk carriers have a large carrying capacity, often exceeding 100-150 thousand tons. The deck of bulk carriers is almost completely open, which allows ships to be quickly loaded with powerful cranes or conveyor loaders without horizontal movement of cargo on the ship itself. The cargo transported by bulk carriers usually does not require high speeds, so bulk carriers have a relatively slow speed, which makes it possible to reduce the engine power of such vessels and save fuel.

Fireship - a ship designated to burn the enemy fleet. Usually for this purpose they used old transports or brigs with a displacement of up to 200 tons. The fire-ship had to be equipped in such a way that it could suddenly catch fire inside and outside. To do this, the decks were covered with tarpaulins and sprinkled with small pieces of firebrand composition and gunpowder; On the cockpit, in the deck and right next to the walls of the ship, tubs with the same composition were placed.

The entire Brander was filled with incendiary and explosive barrels, boxes filled with grenades, torches, tarred fascines, shavings, and in addition, everything was doused with turpentine. To light the Brander, sausages were used (long bags containing a mixture of saltpeter and sulfur), which were placed in the deck so that their ends were in the stern of the ship, right at the holes that were cut for this purpose. At the end of the sausages, a tube filled with a slow-burning composition was inserted, which made it possible for the crew of the fireship, having ignited it, to escape on a boat tied behind the stern.

The ports and hatches were closed, and so that they were opened in time, a fire mortar was placed against each, that is, a piece of wood with a channel and a chamber, which was filled with gunpowder, and a pole was firmly driven into the channel, which, when fired, opened the port or hatch; The mortar's fuse was connected by a stopin to other incendiary shells. On the bowsprit, the ends of the yards and other convenient places, poles and iron hooks were hung, with which the fireship could engage with an enemy ship.

When the fire-ship was loaded, the sails were set on it and, having brought it to a decent distance, the rudder was secured in the proper position, the pipe was lit and it was launched, mostly downwind, towards the enemy fleet. Typically, fire ships were launched at night or during fog, so that the enemy, having noticed the fire ship, would not have time to withdraw or sink it. In general, it must be said that fire ships were launched at ships at anchor, otherwise the enemy ship could dodge.

In the history of naval battles there are very few cases where fireships caused harm to the enemy. One of them dates back to June 2, 1770, when during the Battle of Chesma, a fire ship, under the command of Lieutenant Ilyin, grappled with a Turkish ship and was then set on fire, and then the fire became general. The Turks lost 16 ships, 6 frigates and up to 50 small vessels.

In combat and marching formations, the fireships were kept in the wind, at a distance of no more than half a mile, which made them safer and more likely to carry out the orders they received; but during the retreat they kept under the wind at a distance of more than half a mile, generally on the side opposite to the enemy’s position. In addition, the fireships of the leeward fleet were kept somewhat ahead of those ships for which they were assigned, so that they could approach them more easily when necessary.

A barge is a flat-bottomed vessel used to transport goods by water. Barges were originally conceived as non-propelled vessels propelled by a tug, but some modern barges are equipped with their own engine. Sometimes several barges are combined into so-called caravans; the volume of cargo transported by such a caravan is up to 40 thousand cubic meters.

Depending on the design and purpose, barges are divided into road, system and river. A raid barge is used for short sea voyages: for example, to deliver petroleum products to coastal oil depots from sea tankers, which, due to their deep draft, cannot come close to the shore or enter the mouths of shallow rivers. Raid barges have raised sides and reinforced hulls, designed for the ability to sail on the open sea, and their displacement is 5-16 thousand tons.

River barges have less strong hulls and lower draft than road barges. They are designed exclusively for transporting goods (such as timber) on navigable rivers. Their displacement usually does not exceed 3.5 thousand tons. System barges are used to pass through the locks of dams and canals.

Despite similar names, these three types of vessel differ significantly in design or have different purposes.

Bark (from the Dutch bark) is a three- to five-masted sea vessel designed for the transportation of cargo with straight sails on all masts except the mizzen mast, with oblique sailing rigs .

Barka is the general name for non-self-propelled alloy, flat-bottomed vessels for transporting goods, used until the 19th century. The barge is the predecessor of the modern barge. The length of the barges usually did not exceed 20 meters. In Russia, in addition to the generally accepted name, barges were also called velkhats, belyans, gusyankas, plows, kolomenkas, kayaks, etc. There are many more names of ships, intermediate between barques, or rafting, and running ones, but all these ships are now being replaced by steamship barges, berths. Some barges had a rudder, and others even had sails.

A longboat was a name given to a small self-propelled fishing or cargo vessel, as well as a rowing boat used for military purposes. Depending on the purpose and type, the longboat could be equipped with a mast or engine

Bombardier ship - a shallow-draft vessel for throwing bombs from mortars when bombarding fortresses from the sea. The first bombardment ship was built in France under Louis XIV and was two-masted; mortars were placed in front of the foremast, which made it possible to operate along the length of the ship. Such ships were called bombardier galliots. But due to the unfavorable arrangement of the equipment, they did not have good seafaring qualities, which is why the British began to build three-masted bombardment ships, and the mortars were located between the foremast and main masts, and the action became the width of the bombardier ship. The Russian fleet used British-style bombardment ships.

A bomber ship is a military vessel that served for operations against fortress and coastal fortifications. Bombardier ships had 2 or 3 masts, an average displacement and a draft of no more than 3 m. Particular attention was paid to the strength of the vessel so that firing from heavy and long-range mortars would not loosen the ship’s fastenings.

To increase stability and speed, bombardment ships began to be lengthened and their contours closer to the type of battleship. Later, in addition to mortars, they began to install cannons and unicorns on them, which made it possible for them to take part in naval battles. The first bombardment ships appeared in the Russian fleet in 1699 to operate against the Azov fortress.

During the 1st Turkish War, Peter the Great built seven such ships (also called shih-bombards) at the Voronezh and Donetsk shipyards. These were wide ships, with a draft of about 3 m, armed with 2 mortars and 12 cannons, modeled on the French and Venetian bombardment ships. The first bombardment ships began to be built in the Baltic Sea in 1705, when Peter needed to act against the Swedish coastal fortresses. However, these ships, being too bulky, were soon recognized as inconvenient for operations in skerries and were replaced by pramas, etc. During the reign of Peter I, only 6 bombardment ships were built on the Baltic Sea. This type existed in the Russian fleet until 1828.

A brig is a 2-masted sailing vessel with full rigging on both masts. The weight of the brig was 200-400 tons, the open battery included 10-24 guns. The ship's crew consisted of 60-120 people. Dimensions: length about 30 m, width and 10-16 m.

The brig was a vessel with a design similar to a corvette, but wider and having two masts. Brigs in the navy served for parcels, escorting merchant ships and other needs for which corvettes were too large. Brigs, like corvettes, had one open battery.

The crew on the brig averaged 6 people per gun. The brig could walk under oars in calm weather, and then its speed reached up to 3 miles per hour. The front mast was called the foremast, and the rear mast was called the main mast. The Brig had two mainsails: one with a gaff and a boom, and the other tied to the mainsail yard.

Brigantine is a small brig. This name is given to one type of light ship of the Mediterranean Sea, which has two or three single-tree masts with lateen rigging. Sails with yards can be lowered and laid along the ship and, having thrown out 20 or 30 oars, go under the oars. These ships were used mainly by pirates.

In the 16th-19th centuries, brigantines were usually used by pirates. Later they were transformed into two-masted sailing ships with a foremast rigged like a brig and a mainmast with slanting sails like a schooner - a mainsail trysail and a topsail. In the 18th century they were introduced into navies as messengers and reconnaissance ships.

Many projects have been proposed to protect warships from enemy fire. The most successful thing was to cover the side with iron plates (armor). The first ships covered with armor were the French wooden batteries Lave, Tonnante and Devastation, built by the engineer Guieysse to participate in the Crimean campaign (1855).

Their success prompted the construction of armored ships in other European countries. The original battleships were converted from wooden ships, to which a belt of armor was attached, after cutting off the upper decks to leave only one closed battery. New iron battleships were built according to the same model. Depending on the success of the artillery, the thickness of the armor also increased, which could no longer cover the entire side, so they limited themselves to only the middle part, or they placed only a narrow belt of armor along the entire cargo waterline.

A casemate was installed in the middle of the ship - an armored cover in which the main artillery was placed. All battleships were equipped with a steam (screw) engine; the spar was gradually reduced and modified, and began to be used to house small rapid-fire artillery, an electric combat lantern, for signals, etc.

To protect against overhead shots and to prevent shell fragments from penetrating into the hold of the battleship, armored decks began to be used, covering the belt of the side armor; in places not armored along the side, this deck was located below the water level. Since 1877, armored decks began to be made convex, protecting the side and height.

Until the mid-80s of the XIX century, in built ships with turrets, the latter were located in a wide variety of ways. Attention was paid mainly only to increasing the angle of fire of the turret guns. On some battleships the turrets were placed in the middle, along the center plane, so that you could only shoot in the transverse direction; on others there was no obstacle for longitudinal shots; the towers were placed in a checkerboard pattern; across the ship, some along the ship, others across; one from each end and from each side, etc.

A tug (from the Dutch boegseren - to pull) is a vessel designed for towing and towing other (usually non-self-propelled) ships and floating structures. According to their purpose, tugs are divided into: tugboats, for setting non-self-propelled vessels in motion with the help of a towing rope, berth operators, providing assistance to large vessels when mooring them to berths; pushers designed to tow ships by pushing, rescuers - to provide assistance to emergency ships.

The purpose of tugboats determines the amount of thrust and power of the main engines: small port tugboats have a power of up to 200 hp. s., and sea rescue tugs - 8-9 thousand liters. With. and more. The towing device of such vessels consists of a towing hook, which is attached to a hinge and moves along the towing arc, towing arches and basting. Sometimes a towing winch is used instead of a hook.

The main characteristic of a tug is not speed, but thrust - the force with which it can influence the vessel being moved. Typically, tugs are relatively small in size but have a very powerful engine.

A galley is a large rowing vessel with one row of oars, used for military purposes in antiquity and the Middle Ages. For rich people and sovereigns, galleys also served as yachts; The Venetian doges annually performed a betrothal ceremony with the sea on the richly decorated galley Bucentaur. In addition to oars, the galleys also had sails (latin - triangular), but they were used only when the winds were favorable, and in battles the galleys always entered under the oars.

The length of ordinary galleys in the Middle Ages was slightly more than 50 meters, and their width was 6 meters; this ratio was chosen to communicate speed to ships. In calm weather, galleys could reach speeds of up to 8 knots (14 versts), which was very high for that time. On large galleys 5 and 6 people sat on one oar. The crew of the galleys consisted of sailors to control the ship, soldiers and oarsmen and reached up to 450 people. Up to 5 guns were placed on galleys. In addition to galleys with one row of oars, in ancient times rowing ships with oars in two, three, four and five rows, or tiers (biremes, triremes, quatriremes and quinqueremes) were used.

In the Middle Ages and later, while galleys were in use (until the 18th century), the team of rowers on a galley consisted of volunteers (les ben?voglies), captured or purchased Moors, Turks and blacks (there were many on Turkish galleys in the 15th - 17th centuries southern Russians taken away by the Tatars; their bitter fate was reflected in songs), and mainly from convicted criminals.

In Russia, galleys appeared under Peter I. In 1695, a 32-oared galley, ordered in Holland, was delivered to Moscow and served as a model for the construction of ships of this type in Moscow and Voronezh (galleys in Russia were originally called galleys and katorgas). In 1699, the galleys, along with the entire fleet, went to sea for the first time. The 269 young archers who took part in the riot of 1698 were the first to begin serving this heavy punishment; Their fate was shared by 131 captured Turks and Tatars. Soon, the name hard labor was extended to other jobs for which the labor of criminals was applied, and the work of criminals on galleys ceased by itself, with the replacement of rowing ships by sailing ships.

Galiot (galyot) is a Dutch two-masted ship of the 16th-19th centuries with a very complete formation and a shallow seat in the water, which gives it the advantage of sailing through shallow canals and waters of Holland. The galliot does not have good sea qualities.

This type of ship construction was brought to Russia by the Dutch at the beginning of the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century, galliots were built 10-20 meters long and 3-5 meters wide. The carrying capacity of the galliot ranged from 8,000 to 37,000 pounds. Most of the latest Russian galliots were built in Finland.

The galliot had a spherical stern and had a displacement of 200-300 tons. Sailing rig: main mast with straight sails and a short mizzen mast with oblique sails. Galiots had a significant drift, to reduce which they used wings, that is, wings descending along the sides. Galiots, similar to the Dutch ones, were built in the 15th and 16th centuries. and the Spaniards, and due to their durability they were sent on ocean voyages. In maritime historical literature, galliots are often confused with galliots - ships of Spanish origin.

A landing ship is a combat ship designed to transport and land troops on the enemy’s coast during military operations. Depending on the design, landing ships can provide landing and unloading of military equipment directly onto the shore or with reloading onto landing craft.

Landing ships have specially equipped premises for landing troops and military equipment. Some landing ships also have decked landing pads for helicopters and docking chambers for receiving small landing craft.

As a means of self-defense and fire support for landing forces, landing ships are provided with missile, artillery and rocket weapons. The dimensions and displacement of landing ships depend on the design of the vessel and the tasks it performs.

CARAVEL

Caravel is the name of special sea vessels of the 15th and 16th centuries, most famous for the voyages of the Portuguese to discover new lands. Christopher Columbus took his first voyage with 3 such ships. These are light, round ships that are easy to maneuver with the help of sails.

Columbus's caravels are believed to have been about 20 m in length. Drawings from 1583 by the Dieppe sailor Jacques Devault have been preserved, giving some idea of ​​the appearance of the caravels. They had an angular stern, turrets at the bow and stern, a high side, a bowsprit and 4 straight masts: a foresail, a mainsail and two mizzens. The three rear masts had lateen sails; there were 2 yards on the front. Mentioned in the XIII and XIV centuries. the caravels were probably smaller than the ships of Vasco da Gama and Columbus.

Corvettes are ships with one open battery, about 20-30 guns. Frigate sail; sometimes there were no straight sails on the mizzen mast (light corvette rigging). The last type of corvette, with weaker artillery, was called a sloop.

In the 17th century, a corvette had one mast and bowsprit and could sail and oar. Even then, Corvettes were accompanied by squadrons and served as reconnaissance or messenger ships. At the beginning of the 18th century, corvettes were transformed: they began to have 2 masts with straight lower sails and topsails, and a blind on the bowsprit.

In the middle of the 18th century, the size of the corvette increased further, and it became similar to a frigate, with the only difference being that everything about it was smaller. The armament of a corvette with an open battery reached 20-32 guns. Corvettes with a closed battery had 14-24 guns. With the introduction of steam engines in navies, wooden wheeled corvettes began to be built.

In 1845-55, sailing corvettes began to be converted into steam propeller ones. But their wheels, not designed for the harmful effects of the machine, turned out to be too weak, therefore, and also due to the transition to high-power steam engines. In this form, the corvettes survived until the beginning of the last 10th anniversary of the 19th century, and their displacement reached 2-3 tons, and their speed reached 13-14 knots.

Cruiser is the general name for ships, mostly fast, capable of staying at sea for a long time, armed with light artillery (mostly rapid-fire) and relatively weakly protected. Under this name there are ships of a wide variety of types and sizes (displacement from 300 tons to 14,000 tons).

The purpose of the cruiser is to protect domestic maritime trade, harm enemy trade, serve as guard ships, messengers, reconnaissance ships, etc. About special mine cruisers. In the past, the purpose of a cruiser was fulfilled partly by frigates, then by corvettes, brigs, and schooners. By the end of the 19th century, Russia had cruisers of two categories (ranks) - armored and armored. There were 12 rank 1 cruisers in the Baltic Fleet, and 1 in the Black Sea Fleet.

The main weapons of a modern cruiser are rifled artillery and missile systems. The ships can also be armed with anti-aircraft artillery, torpedoes and mines. Most modern ships are armed with 1-2 light aircraft. Airplanes take off using special devices - catapults, or 1-2 helicopters, which are used for reconnaissance and fire adjustment.

Dimensions of a modern cruiser: length up to 200-220 m, width 20 - 23 m, draft up to 8 m. Displacement of light cruisers 7-9 thousand tons, heavy cruisers up to 20-30 thousand tons. Crew from 600 to 1300 people, speed 55-65 km/h.

The boat is a sea and river vessel, used at the beginning of the era by the Varangians and ancient Slavs for military campaigns, and later became a merchant cargo ship. It is believed that the design of the boat belongs to the Vikings, who were noble sailors.

The fact that on these ships, rather modest in design, the Varangians reached the shores of Europe has been known for a long time, and according to the latest data, some boats even reached the shores of Greenland and North America. The boats were universal vessels: they sailed on the ocean, the sea, and the river.

At first, boats were made from hollowed out large oak or linden trunks, and the sides were extended using boards. Such rooks were called “slammed” rooks. Subsequently, the entire ship was built from individual boards. The length of the boat reached 20 meters, width - 5 meters. Usually the boat had only one mast with a straight sail. Depending on the design and size, there were several pairs of oars. In those days when the boat was used as a warship, shields were attached to the sides to protect the oarsmen.

An ordinary boat could carry up to 60 people. The rook was often used in Rus'. The Varangian warriors carried out military campaigns on boats. The relatively small size and weight of the boat allowed the crew to drag it across small isthmuses.

Liners (from the English line - line) is a category of transport ships, which includes most of the best ships operating on certain lines. Flights between ports along routes usually take place at regular intervals.

Liners are the most capacious modern means of transport. They are capable of carrying several thousand passengers. Usually, the routes of ocean liners tend to be laid along the arcs of a great circle of the globe, which pass through the points of departure and arrival. There are currently more than 200 ocean liners in the world.

The liners amaze with their size. In addition to cabins for passengers, these “floating cities” contain swimming pools, restaurants, shops, sports complexes, etc. The largest modern liner (Freedom of the Seas) can carry 4,375 passengers and has a displacement of 160 thousand tons. The length of the liner is 339 m, width 56 m, speed 21.6 knots (about 40 km/h).

An icebreaker is a ship that, due to its design, is capable of moving freely through ice.

The first icebreaker in Russia was the Saratov, built in 1896 by the English company Armstrong to support the crossing of the Volga near Saratov. The same company built several more icebreakers for Russia: Baikal (1900) and Angara (1903), Ermak (1898), Svyatogor (1917).

From 1921 to 1941, 8 icebreakers were built in Leningrad; in the period 1956-1958, the plant built 10 river icebreakers. In 1959, the first nuclear icebreaker "Lenin" was built in the USSR, and in 1974, sea trials of the second nuclear icebreaker - "Arktika" were completed.

The hull of an icebreaker is usually made “barrel-shaped”, and in the area of ​​the waterline the hull has increased strength. The bow of the ship allows it to break the ice located ahead with its weight. On the other hand, this design is not very well suited for sailing in free water: the icebreaker sways significantly in waves. Modern icebreakers are usually built with three propellers.

Icebreakers are used to deliver cargo to hard-to-reach areas of the Arctic and Antarctic, evacuate and deliver expeditions to scientific stations, as well as to lay a shipping route for ships following the icebreaker.

A battleship (battleship) is a military vessel of the 17th-19th centuries, designed for battle in a line, that is, in formation. Since the fate of a war at sea was usually decided by squadron battles, the battleship was the main type of warship.

The type of battleship is determined by the state of shipbuilding technology, the type of weapon that is most applicable and valid in squadron combat, and the formation that is most convenient for using these weapons. At all times of the existence of the navy, there was one common desire - to increase the size (displacement) of battleships. This desire is quite natural, since the progress of any type of ship is invariably associated with an increase in its displacement, and any quality is achieved more economically the larger the ship.

However, this desire was constantly limited, on the one hand, by the imperfection of shipbuilding technology, which did not make it possible to equip a ship larger than known sizes with sufficient fortifications, on the other hand, by the imperfection of the propulsion system, which is why the large ship was unmanageable, clumsy and heavy on the move, and on the third - special conditions of naval warfare, which were caused by navigation conditions.

At the beginning of the last century, steam battleships, also called dreadnoughts, appeared. The displacement of battleships used in combat during World War II was 20-64 tons, and the speed was 20-35 knots. The battleship's crew numbered 1,500-2,800 people. After the end of World War II, almost all surviving battleships were scrapped.

Luger is a small decked sailing vessel 20-23 m long, with slanting rack sails on three masts, with topsails on the foresail and mainmast and a jib on a retractable bowsprit. During the sailing fleet, luggers were among the military ships, armed with 6-10 small-caliber guns, and were used for distribution in ports.

Luger rigging is adopted for naval boats as the simplest and easiest to disassemble if necessary. To make the front mast more maneuverable, the luggers had easily swinging yards, and the mizzen mast with a slanting sail was placed at the very stern, near the lanyard.

The first mention of a submarine is found in Russian sources in 1718. It must be admitted that Efim Nikonov’s “hidden ship” was very different even from the first submarines. The first production boat was created according to the design of engineer Stefan Karlovich Drzewiecki at the end of the 19th century. These submarines had low speed, instability in course and depth, and the inability to navigate underwater, which did not allow them to become military weapons.

The first Russian submarines took part already in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. In 1906, submarines were amended to the official classification of ships of the Imperial Russian Navy. The date March 19, 1906 is considered the date of birth of the Russian submarine fleet. Several dozen Russian submarines already took part in the First World War of 1914-1918, 7 of them sank.

The first submarines had diesel engines. Modern submarines have nuclear engines. There are currently two main types of submarines. Multipurpose submarines are designed to search for and destroy enemy ships and submarines. Missile submarines are kept away from the main theater of operations. Their task is to launch a missile (including nuclear) strike against designated strategic targets (military bases, populated areas).

A seiner (from the English seine - purse seine) is a modern motor fishing vessel, usually a single-deck vessel with a superstructure shifted to the bow. At the stern of the seiner there is a place for storing and processing the seine and a turning platform from where it is swept out during fishing. One end of the seine is secured to the auxiliary motor boat.

To increase maneuverability, large seiners are equipped with active rudders, rotary retractable columns, and side propellers. Also, some seiners can be equipped with installations for cooling and processing fish. Modern seiners are usually equipped with special search equipment to detect large concentrations of fish.

Seiners are common in countries that actively fish in the sea and ocean: Russia, Japan, the USA, etc. The length of large seiners can reach 70 meters and a speed of 17 knots.

A tanker (from the English tank - tank, tank) is a vessel designed for transporting liquid cargoes that are poured into special large-volume tanks. The main materials transported by tankers are: oil and its products, liquefied gases, food products and water, and chemical products.

Initially, liquid substances were transported on cargo ships exclusively in barrels. It was only at the end of the 19th century that a method of transportation similar to the modern tanker became widespread. The first transportation in bulk was carried out in Russia in 1873 on the Caspian Sea by the Artemyev brothers on the wooden sailing schooner Alexander. Having felt the advantages of the new method of transportation, people began to switch to a similar method of transportation everywhere. Quite quickly, the carrying capacity of tankers exceeded 1000 tons.

A modern tanker is a single-deck self-propelled vessel with an engine room, living and service spaces in the stern. To reduce the likelihood of contents spilling, tankers are usually made with a double bottom. Cargo spaces are separated by several transverse and longitudinal bulkheads.

Loading of cargo is carried out by shore means through special deck necks, and unloading is carried out by ship pumps. Some types of cargo need to maintain a certain temperature, so the tanks have special coils through which a cooler or heater is passed.

Modern tankers are divided into several categories, depending on deadweight (the difference in displacement with a full load and without cargo):

GP - small-tonnage tankers (6000-16499 t)

GP - general purpose tankers (16500-24999 t)

MR - medium-tonnage tankers (25000-44999 dwt)

LR1 - large-capacity tankers of class 1 (45000-79999 t)

LR2 - large-capacity tankers of class 2 (80000-159999 t)

VLCC - large-capacity tankers of class 3 (160,000-320,000 tons)

ULCC - supertankers (more than 320,000 tons).

The tender is a single-masted sailing vessel with a length of about 20 m and a displacement of 200 tons. The mast has no slope, and a long horizontal bowsprit protrudes from the bow, which can be moved inside the vessel in fresh winds. Sail: slanting mainsail, briefsail, topsail and several jibs.

During the Great Patriotic War, tenders were used to transport troops, cargo over short distances and to land troops on an unequipped coast. These ships had a shallow draft, a carrying capacity of up to 30 tons and a crew of 2-3 people. Now tenders are not used in navies.

A minesweeper is a special-purpose vessel that searches, detects and destroys sea mines, as well as guides ships through minefields. Based on displacement, seaworthiness and armament, there are several types of minesweepers: sea (displacement 660 - 1300 tons), basic (displacement up to 600 tons), raid (displacement up to 250 tons) and river (up to 100 tons) minesweepers.

Based on the operating principle, a distinction is made between contact, acoustic and electromagnetic minesweepers. The contacts act as follows: they use special knives to cut the mine ropes (cables), and shoot the pop-up mines. Acoustic minesweepers use special acoustic means to simulate the passage of a large ship, causing the mines to explode. The operation of electromagnetic minesweepers, which imitate the electromagnetic radiation of a target, is based on a similar principle.

Currently, there is a development of electromagnetic type minesweepers. The destruction process includes several operations: search, detection, classification and neutralization of mines. Modern mine-anti-mine ships are equipped with hydroacoustic stations, a precision navigation complex, and information processing and display systems.

The trireme was a three-row ship of the ancient Greeks, on which the rowers were arranged in three tiers (which explains the name). The rowers were located on both sides of the trireme; those sitting in the first, upper tier were called phranites. The Zeugites sat a little lower, and the Falamites sat even lower.

In the first tier, 31 rowers sat on each side, in the other two - 27. The top cover for the rowers was awnings, canvas roofs, and tarpaulins. The work took place under the command of a special chief, who had an assistant, the so-called trieravl (trier flutist), who gave, if necessary, signals with a trumpet and acted as the ship's steward.

The crew of the trireme during the Greco-Persian wars consisted of 200 people. At the stern there was a booth - the captain's cabin; The helmsman sat in front of her. Decorations on the stern of the trireme included: a swan's head, a rod with a flag, images of gods, etc. The nose of the trireme was like a pointed beak and ended with either three teeth or the figures of the head of a crocodile, wild boar and other animals. There were 4 anchors, later 2; they rose and fell with the help of a gate. At first the decks were incomplete: decks were arranged at the stern, on the bow and along the sides, above the seats of the zeugites and falamites.

Later (after the Greco-Persian wars) ships with a solid deck were introduced, under which there was also a lower deck or floor. In the middle of the trireme stood a large mast with a yard and a quadrangular sail; a so-called foremast was installed on the bow. The greatest length of the trireme was 36.5 m, the greatest width was 4.26 m, and the depth was 0.925 m; the displacement of the vessel without gear and spars was 42 tons, the displacement with crew and all weapons was 82 tons; average speed - 5.4

Felucca is a small decked ship; It was previously found in the military and merchant fleets of the Mediterranean Sea and the Archipelago and was preferred by Greek pirates for its speed. The military Felucca was armed with 6-8 small cannons on the upper deck.

Felucca was also used for trade by coastal inhabitants of the Mediterranean Sea. Its stern is somewhat elevated, its bow is pointed, there are 3 masts; with sail she resembles a galley. Typically, a felucca could carry about ten passengers and was served by a crew of two or three people.

Flute - a cargo ship in the 18th century. in military fleets, mainly for transporting military loads; had 3 masts and 2-12 guns. The first flute was built in 1595 in the city of Hoorn (Holland), in the Zsider Zee Bay.

The sails of the foresail and mainmast were the foresail and mainsail and corresponding topsails, and later on larger ships and topsails. On the mizzen mast, above the usual slanting sail, there was a straight cruising sail. A rectangular blind sail, sometimes a bomb blind, was placed on the bowsprit. For the first time, a steering wheel appeared on flutes, which made it easier to shift the rudder.

The flutes of the early 17th century had a length of about 40 m, a width of about 6.5 m, a draft of 3 - 3.5 m, and a carrying capacity of 350-400 tons. They carried 10 - 20 guns. The crew consisted of 60 - 65 people. The flutes were distinguished by good seaworthiness, high speed, large capacity and were used mainly as military transport ones.

A sailing vessel with straight sails on all three masts. In the navy, a frigate was a ship with one closed battery, also three-masted with straight sails.

This name was retained in Russia until the 90s of the 19th century, after which they switched to the names - cruiser or battleship, depending on the type of vessel. Frigate steamship - called a frigate that had a steam wheeled engine; such were Kamchatka and Olaf in Russia.

During World War II, frigates were anti-submarine escort ships that were lighter than destroyers but heavier than corvettes. Such ships were built to perform exclusively convoy service. In the American Navy, this class of ships was called escort destroyers and ocean escorts.

In the Soviet and Russian navies, ships of this type were called anti-submarine and patrol ships, depending on their purpose, range and armament. The term "frigate" was practically never used.

Shebeka is a long, narrow, pointed vessel of the 18th century for light military service and cruising, which replaced galleys. Has 3 masts (the front one is tilted forward). The length of the xebek was up to 35 m.

Shebeka was first used in the Russian fleet during the Archipelago expedition of 1769–1774. At the end of the 18th century. The ship became part of the Baltic Rowing Fleet and, having reached considerable size, had three masts with oblique sails, up to 20 pairs of oars and from 30 to 50 guns.

A narrow, long hull with cambered sides and a strongly extended stem provided the ship with good seaworthiness. Shebeka's hull design was close to caravels and galleys, but surpassed them in speed, seaworthiness and armament. A deck was built at the rear of the ship, protruding strongly towards the stern. The greatest width of the upper deck was about a third of its length, and the shape of the underwater part was exceptionally sharp.

Sloop - a three-masted military sailing ship of the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries; the equipment was similar to that of a corvette. The artillery armament consisted of one open battery with small-caliber cannons. Sloops were also called wooden ships built in the north - in Arkhangelsk, Kem districts and near the Kola Peninsula.

The sloops' displacement reached 900 tons and were armed with 10-28 guns. These ships were used for patrol and messenger services and as a transport and expedition vessel. In some countries, sloops are still called low-speed patrol ships designed to protect transport convoys. One of the first sloops built in England was 64 feet long and 21 feet wide. The vessel's draft was 8 feet and its load capacity was 113 tons.

Shnyava is a warship of the former sailing fleet, somewhat similar to the brig. In the 18th century it had a Latin mizzen (with a rake instead of a gaff, extending past the mast down to the deck); The artillery armament consisted of 6-20 small cannons.

Shnyava was one of the largest two-masted sailing ships of the 16th-19th centuries. Its displacement was up to 1000 tons. There were straight sails on both masts. Shnyava could have a third mast, located directly behind the mainmast with a small gap. Sometimes this mast was replaced by a special cable, to which the luff of the sail was attached with rings. Shnyava was distributed mainly in England, Sweden and France.

A schooner (schoon) is a sailing ship with 2 or 3 masts with slanting sails. The schooner's spar was distinguished by the comparative height of the lower masts, to which short topmasts were attached. The slope of the masts on a schooner is slightly greater than that of ships with straight sail.

The number of masts and type of sails of the schooners differed as follows:

An ordinary schooner has 2 or 3 masts; 1-2 straight sails (topsail and topsail) are placed on the foremast; the remaining masts have only slanting sails.

The Bermuda schooner, or gaff schooner (sometimes called a goelette or gulet), has exclusively forward sails on all (2 or 3) masts.

A brig schooner (brigantine) has a foremast rigged like a brig, that is, with a short lower mast and full straight sail; The mainmast has an oblique sail, like an ordinary schooner.

A barque schooner (barquentine) has a foremast the same as that of a brig schooner, and 2 rear masts with schooner sails.

In Russia, the term schooner was very common on the Caspian Sea, where it was the name given to seagoing cargo steamships that replaced the previous sailing schooners in the transportation of goods.

Destroyers first appeared in 1863, during the civil war in the United States. The prototype of destroyers is an ordinary steam boat equipped with a pole mine. In the 70s of the last century, when warships were armed with large, but small and slow-firing guns with poor accuracy, the development of destroyers was particularly rapid and successful.

The first Russian destroyers had a displacement of about 75 tons and a speed not exceeding 16 knots; attempts to increase speed were in vain due mainly to bulky fire-tube boilers and imperfect shipbuilding. With the improvement of the latter, with significant improvement and lightening of the mechanisms, it became possible to give the destroyer greater speeds. As with other types of warships, the evolution of destroyers has always been in the direction of increasing it.

In this evolution, a trace can be noted. the main stages. Lifting mine boats were first used during the Typian War of 1877 on the ship Vel. Prince Konstantin, according to the thoughts of his commander, S. O. Makarov. Coastal destroyers - small steam ships with a displacement of 15-40 tons - appeared at the same time; due to their low cost, they could be built in large numbers. Their main purpose was to participate in the protection of roadsteads, river mouths and skerry fairways. Sea-going destroyers developed due to the desire to achieve greater independence of navigation and the ability to make long transitions.

Armored destroyers appeared in the Italian fleet at the end of the 19th century, but were soon abandoned, since only a small percentage of their displacement could be devoted to armor, and under this condition the armor did not protect the ship. The mine cruiser was supposed to ensure the implementation of mine operations in stormy weather. It was a transitional type to destroyers of large displacement, 1000 tons or more.

After the First World War, destroyers were replaced by a more advanced type of ship - destroyers or destroyers. The main purpose of destroyers: reconnaissance, defense of battleships and cruisers, torpedo attacks against large ships. The displacement of the destroyers was 1-1.5 thousand tons, the speed was 35-36 knots. During World War II, destroyers were used to protect formations of large ships and transport convoys from attacks by light ships, aircraft, and submarines. Modern destroyers have a displacement of up to 6,000 tons and a speed of about 34 knots.

Yal (from the Dutch jol) - a small, short and wide rowing-sailing boat with a transom stern. Depending on the number of oars, which can be 2 to 8, the yawls are called “twos”, “fours”, “sixes” and “eights”, etc.

The design of the yawl evolved from the end of the 16th century. At that time it was a small sailing and rowing vessel for communication between ships and the shore, for rescue needs, for small loading and towing operations. The famous boat “Fortune” of Peter I was of a similar type. The image of the yawl was finally formed in the 19th century.

The sailing rig of the yawls is single-masted, rack-mounted. Two-piece yawls do not have sailing equipment. On ships of various types, yawls are used for work and training purposes. Yalas are also used in rowing.

Yacht (from Dutch jagen - to drive, to pursue), a sailing, motor or sail-motor vessel with a displacement of up to 3000 tons, used for sports or tourist purposes. Walking on the water has long been a form of entertainment for peoples where navigation flourished. The rulers and rich people of Rome built themselves large galleys, with luxurious decoration, for pleasure trips. During the power of the Venetian Republic, water sports were very popular; History immediately mentions the first competitions in the speed of pleasure boats (races, the so-called regatta), with prizes awarded to the fastest of the ships.

Yachts can be divided into 3 categories: sailing, powered and rowing racing vessels. Sea sailing yachts were originally small seaworthy vessels, with oblique sailing rigs, allowing them to be controlled by a small number of crew. Over time, the formation of the hull of these yachts began to change: on the one hand, the contours of the vessel were made sharper to reduce water resistance; on the other hand, the midship frame began to be made fuller at the waterline and sharper at the keel, for greater stability and the ability to carry more sail; For the same purposes, they began to make permanent ballast, and subsequently they built keels from cast iron or lead.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. the American and English systems converged, forming a new type of yacht, with a so-called bulb keel: this type has an ovoid hull at the bottom, but with a pointed end; the keel is a sheet of iron with lead ballast along its lower edge in the shape of a cigar. The steering wheel is made hanging, iron, sometimes balanced. This type also has the greatest stability, the least resistance to turning, along with sufficient sharpness for travel speed. The strength of the spar and rigging is calculated in such a way that in a squall the spar breaks, but the yacht does not capsize. Windage, with great stability, is allowed, of course, to be huge, and for lightness, sails are often made of silk canvas.

Currently, there are several types of yachts. Almost all of them have engines in addition to sailing weapons. Only some types of sports yachts do not have them.

The sailing fleet is one of the founders of the modern maritime fleet. Around 3000 BC, rowing ships already had primitive sails, with which people used the power of the wind. The first sailing rig was a rectangular piece of cloth or animal skin tied to the yard of a short mast. Such a “sail” was used only in favorable winds and served as an auxiliary propulsion device for the vessel. However, with the development of society, the fleet also improved.

During the period of the feudal system, large rowing ships with two masts and several sails appeared, and the sails had already taken on more advanced forms. However, ships with sails did not receive much use at that time, since the development of the fleet in a slave-owning society was determined by the use of slave labor and the ships of that time still remained rowing. With the fall of feudalism, free labor gradually disappeared. The operation of large ships with a large number of oars became unacceptable. In addition, with the development of international maritime trade, the sailing areas of ships have also changed - sea voyages have become longer. There was a need for vessels of a new design capable of making long sea voyages. Such ships were sailing ships - naves, which had a length of up to 40 m and a carrying capacity of up to 500 tons of cargo. Later, three-masted sailing ships - carracks - appeared in Portugal, with straight sails on the first two masts and triangular lateen sails on the third mast. Subsequently, both types of ships merged into one type of more advanced sailing vessel, which served as a prototype for ships and frigates.

At the end of the 16th century, sailing ships - galleons - began to be built in Spain. These had a long bowsprit and four masts. The bow mast of the galleon carried two or three straight sails, and the stern mast carried oblique lateen sails.

At the end of the 18th century, due to new geographical discoveries and the subsequent growth of trade, the sailing fleet began to improve. began to build depending on their purpose. New types of cargo sailing ships have appeared that are suitable for long-distance travel. The most common among them were barques, brigs, and later two-masted schooners. With the continuous development of shipping at the end of the 18th century, the design and armament of sailing ships improved significantly. During this period, a unified classification of sailing ships and ships was established. Warships, depending on the number of guns and type of weapons, will be divided into battleships, frigates, corvettes and sloops. Depending on the sailing equipment, merchant ships were divided into ships, barques, brigs, schooners, brigantines and barquentines.

Currently, it is customary to classify them according to their sailing equipment. Depending on the type of sails, all sailing ships are divided into ships with direct sails, ships with oblique sails sailing equipment and vessels with mixed sailing equipment.

square-rigged ships

The first group of classification of sailing ships includes ships whose main sails are straight. In turn, this group, based on the number of masts armed with straight sails, is divided into the following types:

a) five-masted ship (five masts, with straight sails);

b) four-masted ship (four masts with straight sails)

ship (three masts with straight sails)

a) a five-masted barque (four masts with straight sails, one at the stern with slanting sails);

b) four-masted barque (three masts with straight sails, one with oblique sails)

a) barque (two masts with straight sails, one with oblique sails);

b) brig (two masts with straight sails)

ships with oblique sails

To the second group sailing ship classifications include vessels whose main sails are oblique sails. The predominant type of ships in this group are schooners, divided into gaff, topsail and Bermuda-rigged schooners. The main sails of gaff schooners are trysails. Topsail schooners, unlike gaff schooners, have topsails and topsails on the foremast, and sometimes on the mainmast.

b) two-masted topsail schooner (masts with forward sails and several upper square sails on the foremast) ;

V) three-masted topsail schooner - Jekas (all masts with oblique sails and several upper straight sails on the foremast);

On a Bermuda-rigged schooner, the main sails are triangular in shape, the luff of which is attached along the mast, and the lower one - to the boom.

Bermuda-rigged schooner

In addition to schooners, this group includes small seagoing single-masted vessels - tender and sloop, as well as two-masted vessels - ketch and iol. A tender is usually called a single-masted vessel with a horizontal retractable bowsprit.

Unlike a tender, a sloop has a short, permanently installed bowsprit. On the masts of both types of sailing ships, oblique sails (trisails and topsails) are installed.

a) tender (one mast with slanting sails);

b) sloop (one mast with slanting sails)

On ketch and lol type vessels, the forward mast is rigged in the same way as on a tender or sloop. The second mast, located closer to the stern, is small in size compared to the first, which is what distinguishes these ships from two-masted schooners.

a) ketch (two masts with slanting sails, and the mizzen - the mast is located in front of the helm);

b) iol (two masts with oblique sails, the smaller one - mizzen - is located behind the steering wheel)

mixed-rigged vessels

The third group of sailing ships uses straight and oblique sails as their main ones. Vessels in this group include:

a) brigantine (schooner-brig; one mast with straight sails and one with oblique sails);

b) barquentine (barque schooner; three- or more-masted vessels with straight sails on the front mast and slant sails on the rest)

a) bombard (one mast almost in the middle of the ship with straight sails and one shifted to the stern - with oblique sails);

b) caravel (three masts; the foremast with straight sails, the rest with lateen sails);

c) trabacollo (Italian: trabacollo; two masts with lugger, i.e., raked sails)

A ) shebek (three masts; fore and main masts with lateen sails, and a mizzen mast with slanting sails);

b) felucca (two masts inclined towards the bow, with lateen sails);

c) tartan (one mast with a large lateen sail)

a) bovo (Italian bovo; two masts: the front one with a lateen sail, the rear one with a gaff or lateen sail);

b) navisello (Italian navicello; two masts: the first is in the bow, strongly inclined forward, carries a trapezoidal sail,

attached to the mainmast; mainmast - with a lateen or other oblique sail);

c) balancella (Italian: biancella; one mast with a lateen sail)

cat (one mast with a gaff sail is strongly offset towards the bow)

lugger (three masts with raked sails, used in France for coastal navigation)

In addition to the listed sailing ships, there were also large seven-, five- and four-masted schooners, mostly of American origin, carrying only oblique sails.

In the middle of the 19th century, the sailing fleet reached its perfection. By improving designs and sailing weapons, shipbuilders created the most advanced type of ocean sailing ship -. This class was distinguished by speed and good seaworthiness.

clipper

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