It was built in Germany in the 1930s and belonged to Hitler's navy, where it was named Horst Wessel. It was taken by the United States after the war and given to the Coast Guard.
It may be the last former Kriegsmarine ship still in service.
It's a barque. Its mizzenmast carries only fore-and-aft sails. To be a ship it would have to carry square sails on its mizzenmast.
And, of course, the Coast Guard calls it a cutter. There is a long naval tradition of officially calling vessels what they are not; in Patrick O'Brian's _Master and Commander_, Captain Aubrey explains to Doctor Maturin that HMS Sophie is a brig, having only two square-rigged masts, but the Navy calls it a sloop, which is properly a single-masted fore-and-aft rigged vessel. He then goes on to explain that in the Royal Navy a "sloop" has a commander as its captain, but a "brig" is a mere lieutenant's command.
My understanding is that 300 years ago, you'd be wrong. Full-rigged ships (3 square rigged masts) were shortened to be called ships, but everything else was a different class and thus a different name. A barque was a barque and a ship was a ship.
However, these days, that's such a trifling thing over something nearly the entire world has given up caring about, that for most people, anything in the water is a "ship" as you say.
Comments
Omg!
Omg!
I remember climbing aboard all the tall ships when I visited after high school (a.k.a. spent the rest of my life here.)
ooooh.... I just might have
ooooh.... I just might have to revise this afternoon's to-do list and go over there and get in line!
das boot
made in Germany and taken as a prize after WWII.
Or, Powell,’s ‘The Enemy
Or, Powell,’s ‘The Enemy Below,” with Mitchum and Jürgens.
This ship has an unusual history
It was built in Germany in the 1930s and belonged to Hitler's navy, where it was named Horst Wessel. It was taken by the United States after the war and given to the Coast Guard.
It may be the last former Kriegsmarine ship still in service.
Actually, it's not a ship at all
It's a barque. Its mizzenmast carries only fore-and-aft sails. To be a ship it would have to carry square sails on its mizzenmast.
And, of course, the Coast Guard calls it a cutter. There is a long naval tradition of officially calling vessels what they are not; in Patrick O'Brian's _Master and Commander_, Captain Aubrey explains to Doctor Maturin that HMS Sophie is a brig, having only two square-rigged masts, but the Navy calls it a sloop, which is properly a single-masted fore-and-aft rigged vessel. He then goes on to explain that in the Royal Navy a "sloop" has a commander as its captain, but a "brig" is a mere lieutenant's command.
Who’s voting up this nonsense?
Barques are sailing ships. Both historically and taxonomically. No legitimate source would claim otherwise.
My take
My understanding is that 300 years ago, you'd be wrong. Full-rigged ships (3 square rigged masts) were shortened to be called ships, but everything else was a different class and thus a different name. A barque was a barque and a ship was a ship.
However, these days, that's such a trifling thing over something nearly the entire world has given up caring about, that for most people, anything in the water is a "ship" as you say.
https://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/early-sailing-ships
"Carlisle Castle for example was first a ship and then a barque..."
https://www.maritimeheritage.org/ships/rigging.html
"Even though most people refer to any large vessel as a "ship," strictly speaking only full-rigged ships are ships."