Square rig

File:Square-rigged mainmast.jpg

Main-mast of a square-rigged brig, with all square sails set except the course

Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which a sailing vessel's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars that are perpendicular (or square) to the median plane of the keel and masts of the vessel. These spars are called Template:Em and their tips, outside the lifts, are called the Template:Em.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary</ref> A ship mainly rigged so is called a square-rigger.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In "Jackspeak" (Royal Navy slang), it also refers to the dress uniform of Junior Ratings.

History

File:Humber Keel Ada Dews painted by Reuben Chappell.jpg

The single-masted, square-rigged Humber keel performed well to windward.<ref name="Mannering 1997">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp

Single sail square rigs were used by the ancient Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Celts. Later the Scandinavians, the Germanic peoples, and the Slavs adopted the single square-rigged sail, with it becoming one of the defining characteristics of the classic “Viking” ships.<ref>The Viking ship's single square-rigged sail. http://Longshipco.org/sail.html Retrieved 2018-8-20</ref>

See also

• Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)
• Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)
• Fore-and-aft rig

External links

• Video: How the Square Rig Works