What kind of ship is a fivemaster (apart from the obvious number of masts it has)and does it have another name

Question

What kind of ship is a fivemaster (apart from the obvious number of masts it has)and does it have another name

Answer 1

It depends on the way the sails are rigged.

Five-masted ships and barques.

Five-masted fullrigged ship

1902-1910 Preussen, 4788 NRT, German.

Five-masted barques

1890-1901 France, 3624 NRT, French.

1892-1892 Maria Rickmers, German.

1895-1925 Potosi, 3854 NRT, 3344 NRT, German.

1906-1917 R.C. Rickmers, 4696 NRT, German.

1911-1922 France, 4544 NRT, French.

1921-1928 København, 3329 NRT, Danish.

A ship, strictly, is a three-masted sailing vessel square rigged on all three masts. With more masts similary rigged, she becomes a four or five masted ship.

If she has her aftermost mast fore-and-aft rigged, she becomes a bark, perhaps a four-masted bark. If only the foremast is square rigged, she becomes a barkentine.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

It is just a "big" one...

     Seriously... I know, it sounds like I am being a smart A__ , but I am not.  A five masted ship was just big (for its day)... In fact there were even a few six masted ships.

Almost all catagories of "sail rigged" or "mast position" sailing vessels could have (and did have) as many as five masts...

Five masted ships have never had a "unique type" name, as have: Sloops, Schooners, Clippers, Barquentines, Barques, Brigs, Carracks, Galleons, Colliers, and or Frigates...

Although the "Collier and the Frigate"  are actually names used to refer to these ships - not as ships - but "fully rigged ships", as the words "collier and frigate" actually mean "a full-rigged ship" in French and Danish. (This is why you never refer to a Frigate as a "Frigate ship". lol)

It is the size and postion of the main sail that gives the ship its unique identifying character... not necessarily the number of masts... Only today - for sure - someone will argue that a "sloop" is a single masted vessel... although that is correct, techniquely a "sloop" can have more than one mast - and historically - many did.

Same goes with the term "yacht"... when I was growing up and learning the nominclature of boats and sailing... "g*y" meant that someone was just happy - and "yacht" meant it was a really-really very rich man's personally owned vessel in excess of 60 feet in length... so the term "yacht" simply connoted both size and luxury.  Today, even Harbor Masters will refer to 20' something cuddy cabins as yachts...  

But this for sure... the five masted sailing vessel never had a unique name as a result of its five masts... The reason for this is because the 4th and then later the 5th masts were originally "added" on... (after-market accessaries you might say) and it wasn't until they were proven effective and successful, that they were built accordingly... (kinda like so many "after-market" items originally put on new automobiles... everything from dome lights, turn signals, to radios, heat and air conditioning, spoilers, etc... were all originally after-market...  

(Its wonderful being so old you actually remember this stuff. lol)

Happy & Safe Boating!

Answer 3

Full-rigged has three or more masts and carries square sails on all of them.

Barque has three or more masts and carries square sails on all but the aftermast, which is fore-and-aft rigged.



Barquentine has three or more masts and carries square sails only on the foremast, and fore-and-aft sails on the rest.

Brig is a two-masted vessel with both masts square rigged.