Editing Barque

{{Short description|Type of sailing vessel}}
[[File:USRC Salmon P Chase - LoC 4a25817u.jpg|thumb|Three-masted barque ([[United States Revenue Cutter Service|US Revenue Cutter]] ''[[USRC_Salmon_P._Chase_(1878)|Salmon P. Chase]]'', 1878–1907)]]
[[File:Sail plan barque.svg|thumb|Three-masted barque [[sail plan]]]]

A '''barque''', '''barc''', or '''bark''' is a type of [[sailing ship|sailing vessel]] with three or more [[mast (sailing)|masts]] of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are [[Square rig|rigged square]], and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-masted barques) is [[Fore-and-aft rig|rigged fore and aft]]. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, bearing a square-rigged sail above.

== Etymology==
[[File:Elissa-Sailing-Ship.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The tall ship ''Elissa'' is a three-masted barque in Galveston.]]
[[File:Sedov in TSR at Kotka July 2017 2.jpg|200px|thumb|upright|Russian ''Sedov'' at the Kantasatama Harbour in [[Kotka]], [[Finland]], during the Tall Ships’ Races 2017]]
The word "barque" entered English via the French term, which in turn came from the [[Latin language|Latin]] ''barca'' by way of [[Occitan language|Occitan]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], Spanish, or Italian.

The Latin {{Lang|la|barca}} may stem from [[Celtic language|Celtic]] ''barc'' (per [[Rudolf Thurneysen|Thurneysen]]){{Dubious|must be ''*barcā'' or sth., not a modern Celtic endingless form|date=April 2021}} or Greek ''baris'' (per [[Friedrich Christian Diez|Diez]]), a term for an Egyptian boat. The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'', however, considers the latter improbable.<ref name="OED">{{OED|barque}}</ref>

The word ''barc'' appears to have come from Celtic languages. The form adopted by English, perhaps from [[Irish language|Irish]], was "bark", while that adopted by Latin as {{Lang|la|barca}} very early, which gave rise to the French {{Lang|fr|barge}} and {{Lang|fr|barque}}.

In Latin, Spanish, and Italian, the term ''barca'' refers to a small [[boat]], not a full-sized ship. French influence in England led to the use in English of both words, although their meanings now are not the same.

Well before the 19th century, a [[barge]] had become interpreted as a small vessel of coastal or inland waters, or a fast rowing boat carried by warships and normally reserved for the commanding officer. Somewhat later, a bark became a sailing vessel of a distinctive rig as detailed below. In Britain, by the mid-19th century, the spelling had taken on the French form of ''barque''. Although [[Francis Bacon (philosopher)|Francis Bacon]] used the spelling with a "q" as early as 1592,<ref>''The Works of Francis Bacon'', Volume 8, Cambridge University Press, 2011</ref> Shakespeare still used the spelling "barke" in [[Sonnet 116]] in 1609. Throughout the period of sail, the word was used also as a shortening of the [[barca-longa]] of the [[Mediterranean Sea]].{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

The usual modern spelling convention is that, to distinguish between [[homophone]]s, when spelled as barque it refers to a ship, and when spelled as bark it refers to either a [[Bark (sound)|sound]] or to a [[Bark (botany)|tree hide]].<ref name="bark">{{cite web |title=Bark |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bark |website=Merriam-Webster |access-date=24 September 2020 |ref=mw_bark |archive-date=14 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514174602/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bark |url-status=live }}</ref>

"[[Barcarole]]" in music shares the same etymology, being originally a folk song sung by [[Venice|Venetian]] [[gondolier]]s and derived from ''barca''&mdash;"boat" in Italian,<ref>{{cite web |title=Barca |url=https://www.wordreference.com/iten/barca |website=Word Reference |access-date=24 September 2020 |ref=wr_barca |archive-date=30 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330032003/https://www.wordreference.com/iten/barca |url-status=live }}</ref> or in Late Latin.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barca |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=barca |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=24 September 2020 |ref=eo_barca |archive-date=30 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330031959/https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=barca |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Bark==
[[File:Endeavour entering Fremantle.jpg|thumb|A [[HM Bark Endeavour Replica|1993 replica]] of HM Bark ''Endeavour'']]

In the 18th century, the [[Royal Navy]] used the term bark for a nondescript vessel that did not fit any of its usual categories. Thus, when the British admiralty purchased a [[collier (ship type)|collier]] for use by [[James Cook]] in his journey of exploration, she was registered as {{ship|HM Bark|Endeavour}} to distinguish her from another ''Endeavour'', a [[sloop-of-war|sloop]] already in service at the time. ''Endeavour'' happened to be a [[full-rigged ship]] with a plain bluff bow and a full stern with windows.

[[William Falconer (poet)|William Falconer]]'s ''Dictionary of the Marine'' defined "bark", as "a general name given to small ships: it is however peculiarly appropriated by seamen to those which carry three masts without a [[mast (sailing)|mizzen]] [[topsail]]. Our Northern Mariners, who are trained in the coal-trade, apply this distinction to a broad-sterned ship, which carries no ornamental figure on the stem or prow."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/0113.html |title=William Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine |publisher=[[National Library of Australia]] |date=2004-02-03 |access-date=2013-02-11 |archive-date=2013-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606025649/http://southseas.nla.gov.au/refs/falc/0113.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A 16th-century paper document in the [[Cheshire Record Office|Cheshire and Chester Archives and Local Studies Service]] notes the names of Robert Ratclyfe, owner of the bark ''Sunday'' and 10 mariners appointed to serve under the [[Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex|Earl of Sussex]], [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |title=DDX 43/34(a) |url=http://catalogue.cheshirearchives.org.uk/calmview/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=DDX+43%2f34(a)&pos=3 |publisher=Cheshire Archives |access-date=18 November 2024}}</ref>

==Barque rig==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2013}}
[[File:Barkskibs staende rigning2.png|thumb|Rigging of a three-masted barque]]
By the end of the 18th century,{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} the term barque (sometimes, particularly in the US, spelled bark) came to refer to any vessel with a particular type of [[sail plan]]. This comprises three (or more) [[mast (sailing)|masts]], [[fore-and-aft sails]] on the [[aft]]ermost mast and [[square rig|square sails]] on all other masts. Barques were the workhorse of the [[golden age of sail]] in the mid-19th century as they attained passages that nearly matched full-rigged ships, but could operate with smaller crews.

The advantage of these rigs was that they needed smaller (therefore cheaper) crews than a comparable [[full-rigged ship]] or [[brig]]-rigged vessel, as fewer of the labour-intensive square sails were used, and the rig itself is cheaper.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} Conversely, the ship rig tended to be retained for training vessels where the larger the crew, the more seamen were trained.

Another advantage is that, downwind, a barque can outperform a [[schooner]] or [[barkentine]], and is both easier to handle and better at going to windward than a full-rigged ship. While a full-rigged ship is the best runner available, and while fore-and-aft rigged vessels are the best at going to windward, the barque and the barquentine, are compromises,{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} which combine, in different proportions, the best elements of these two.

Whether square-rig, barque, barquentine or schooner is optimal depends on the degree to which the sailing-route and season can be chosen to achieve following-wind. Square-riggers predominated for intercontinental sailing on routes chosen for following-winds.

Most ocean-going [[windjammer]]s were four-masted barques, due to the above-described considerations and compromises. Usually the main mast was the tallest; that of ''[[Moshulu]]'' extends to 58&nbsp;m off the deck. The four-masted barque can be handled with a surprisingly small crew—at minimum, 10—and while the usual crew was around 30, almost half of them could be apprentices.

[[File:Potosi - SLV H99.220-2488.jpg|thumb|Five-masted barque ''[[Potosi (ship)|Potosi]]'' ({{circa|1895–1920}})]]
Today many sailing-[[school ship]]s are barques.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}}

A well-preserved example of a commercial barque is the ''[[Pommern (ship)|Pommern]]'', the only windjammer in original condition. Its home is in [[Mariehamn]] outside the [[Åland]] maritime museum. The wooden barque ''[[Sigyn (ship)|Sigyn]]'', built in [[Gothenburg]] 1887, is now a [[museum ship]] in [[Turku]]. The wooden [[whaling]] barque ''[[Charles W. Morgan (ship)|Charles W. Morgan]]'', launched 1841, taken out of service 1921,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sailing-ships.oktett.net/728.html |title=Sailing Ships |publisher=Sailing-ships.oktett.net |access-date=2013-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219064200/http://sailing-ships.oktett.net/728.html |archive-date=2012-02-19 }}</ref> is now a museum ship at [[Mystic Seaport]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=2103ED05-65B8-D398-7609445B7A947310 |title=Mystic Seaport homepage |publisher=MysticSeaport.org |access-date=2013-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204164124/http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=2103ED05-65B8-D398-7609445B7A947310 |archive-date=2013-02-04 }}</ref> in [[Connecticut]]. The ''Charles W. Morgan'' has recently been refit and is (as of summer, 2014) sailing the New England coast. The [[United States Coast Guard]] still has an operational barque, built in Germany in 1936 and captured as a [[war prize]], the [[USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)|USCGC ''Eagle'']], which the [[United States Coast Guard Academy]] in [[New London, Connecticut|New London]] uses as a training vessel. The [[Sydney Heritage Fleet]] restored an iron-hulled three-masted barque, the [[James Craig (barque)|''James Craig'']], originally constructed as ''Clan Macleod'' in 1874 and sailing at sea fortnightly. The oldest active sailing vessel in the world, the [[Star of India (ship)|''Star of India'']], was built in 1863 as a full-rigged ship, then converted into a barque in 1901.

This type of ship inspired the French composer [[Maurice Ravel]] to write his famous piece, [[Miroirs|''Une Barque sur l'ocean'']], originally composed for piano, in 1905, then orchestrated in 1906.

''[[Statsraad Lehmkuhl]]'' is in active operation in its barque form, stripped down without most of its winches and later improvements more aligned to the upbringing of future sailors both as a schoolship, training operations for the Norwegian Navy and generally available for interested volunteers. During the summer of 2021, it hosted "NRK Sommarskuta" with live TV everyday sailing all of the Norwegian coast from north to south and crossing the North Sea to Shetland. After this it will perform its first full sailing trip around world, estimated to take 19 months with many promotional events along the way. Scientific equipment has been installed in support of ongoing university studies{{which|date=August 2021}} to monitor and log environmental data.

==Barques and barque shrines in Ancient Egypt==
In [[Ancient Egypt]], barques, referred to using the French word as [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]] were first translated by the Frenchman [[Jean-François Champollion]], were a type of boat used from Egypt's earliest recorded times and are depicted in many drawings, paintings, and reliefs that document the culture. Transportation to the afterlife was believed to be accomplished by way of barques, as well, and the image is used in many of the religious murals and carvings in temples and tombs.

The most important Egyptian barque carried the dead [[pharaoh]] to become a deity. Great care was taken to provide a beautiful barque to the pharaoh for this journey, and models of the boats were placed in their tombs. Many models of these boats, that range from tiny to huge in size, have been found. Wealthy and royal members of the culture also provided barques for their final journey. The type of vessel depicted in Egyptian images remains quite similar throughout the thousands of years the culture persisted.

Barques were important religious [[cultural artifact|artifacts]], and since the deities were thought to travel in this fashion in the sky, the [[Milky Way]] was seen as a great waterway that was as important as the [[Nile]] on Earth; [[Cult image|cult statues]] of the deities traveled by boats on water and ritual boats were carried about by the priests during festival ceremonies. [[Egyptian temple|Temples]] included barque shrines, sometimes more than one in a temple, in which the sacred barques rested when a procession was not in progress.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/egyptian_temples/egyptian_temples-text.htm | title= Egyptian Temples | publisher= Odyssey Adventures in Archaeology | access-date= 2013-02-11 | archive-date= 2013-02-22 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130222071327/http://www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/egyptian_temples/egyptian_temples-text.htm | url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.bookrags.com/research/ancient-egypt-2675-332-bce-religion-ahe-01/temple-architecture-and-symbolism-ahe-01.html | title=Ancient Egypt 2675–332 BCE: Religion: Temple Architecture and Symbolism | work=Arts and Humanities Through the Eras | publisher=[[BookRags]] | access-date=2007-06-28 | archive-date=2007-10-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020112534/http://www.bookrags.com/research/ancient-egypt-2675-332-bce-religion-ahe-01/temple-architecture-and-symbolism-ahe-01.html | url-status=live }}</ref> In these stations, the boats would be watched over and cared for by the priests.

==Barque of St. Peter==
[[File:Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Trinity, Indiana) - stained glass, Barque of Peter.jpg|thumbnail|A stained glass window depicting the Barque of Saint Peter in [[Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Trinity, Indiana)]]]]
The [[Barque of St. Peter]], or the Barque of Peter, is a reference to the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. The term refers to [[Saint Peter|Peter]], the first [[Pope]], who was a fisherman before becoming an apostle of Jesus. The Pope is often said to be steering the Barque of St. Peter.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/ship.htm | title= Ship as a Symbol of the Church (Bark of St. Peter) | publisher= Jesus Walk | access-date= 19 February 2013 | archive-date= 15 February 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130215095039/http://www.jesuswalk.com/christian-symbols/ship.htm | url-status= live }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Barquentine]] or barkentine (three masts, fore mast square-rigged)
*[[Brigantine]] (two masts, fore mast square-rigged)
*[[Jackass-barque]] (three masts, fore mast and upper part of mizzen mast square-rigged)
*[[Schooner]]
*[[Windjammer]]
*[[List of large sailing vessels]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book
 | last = Wilhelmsen
 | first = Frederick D.
 | title = Omega: Last of the barques
 | publisher = Newman Press
 | year = 1956
 | location = Westminster, Maryland
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yAIYAAAAIAAJ&q=barque+omega&pg=PA97
 | oclc= 3439968 | lccn= 56011411
}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons category|Barques}}
* [http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/KaiwoMaru03.html Description of the four-masted barque ''Kaiwo Maru'']

{{Sailing Vessels and Rigs}}
{{Sail Types}}
{{Sailing ship elements}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Barques| ]]
[[Category:Sailing rigs and rigging]]
[[category:Tall ships]]