The Elissa...Who Knows About Her?

Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance"... which in this case is...what? That she didn't sink? Wasn't even built in one of our yards! Sorry.
Oh, like the Queen Mary?

This English built stripped-out tourist attraction is on the list.
 
Jul 27, 2011
5,180
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
My most direct reply would be to refer to Wikipedia:

"In December 1942, Queen Mary carried 16,082 American soldiers from New York to Great Britain, a standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel.":)
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Strange. She has her top sails up but not her lower course. I thought that normal protocol on a square rigger was to raise the lower sails first & doff them last.

To answer the original question, the only thing that I know about that particular ship is that a friend of mine claims to be a plank holder.
 
Jan 22, 2008
766
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
Strange. She has her top sails up but not her lower course. I thought that normal protocol on a square rigger was to raise the lower sails first & doff them last.
Wondered why myself, I’m sure someone who has been crew on a square rigged ship can give us the answer. Maybe it was the right sail combination to run the same speed as the sub.
 
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Mar 30, 2013
700
Allied Seawind MK II 32' Oologah Lake, Oklahoma
I've never crewed on a square rigged ship but I did serve on submarines.
In restricted waters and maneuvering into a port the submarine won't be going terribly fast, 5-6 knots, maybe less. Those things don't exactly handle like a sports car.
 
Nov 13, 2013
723
Catalina 34 Tacoma
Strange. She has her top sails up but not her lower course. I thought that normal protocol on a square rigger was to raise the lower sails first & doff them last.
Maybe for visibility purposes. There is quite the gaggle of sightseers onboard.
 
Jul 27, 2011
5,180
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
When Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) gets HMS Bounty underway in that movie (Mutiny on the Bounty) his command was: "Set topsails and jibs." As someone who has visited a few maritime museums including the New Bedford Whaling Museum, I've seen many paintings (and there are a lot in that one place). I can tell you it's not uncommon to see these ship-rigged tall ships in harbor with the courses furled and the topsails deployed. Maybe they do not wish to go too fast (as alluded to above) so start off with the smaller sails until reaching the open sea (reverse when returning).

PS: JiminPB appears to be referring to all sails above the courses as top sails. Topsails are the ones directly above the courses on the topmasts.
 
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Jul 27, 2011
5,180
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
Here's this. The USS Constitution sailing in harbor under topsails and jibs (plus spanker).
Constitution.jpg


The sails above the topsails, not deployed here, each has its own name. The next two up should be the T'gallants and then the Royals.
 
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Jul 27, 2011
5,180
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
The order getting underway appears to be topsails & jibs; courses; t'gallants; royals; and then staysails.