Modern traditional sailing ships

Article By:

Franzen, Capt. Iver C. Naval Architect, Annapolis, Maryland.

Last reviewed:2005

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB051900

In the exploratory and commercial heyday of sailing ships, there were many tragic accidents resulting in the loss of ships and, in many cases, great loss of life. The responses of governments to these tragedies generally took the form of increasingly tighter regulations of commercial vessels (cargo and passenger alike) to try to prevent recurrences of such accidents. Therefore, rehabilitated original ships and accurate replica sailing ships now are required to reconcile historical accuracy with modern practices and government regulations. If one were to apply today's regulations, especially those relating to stability, to ships of a hundred years ago, the great majority of those ships would not meet requirements. Designers of replica ships, if these ships are to be true to the appearance, performance, and experience of their forebears, are therefore faced with a very challenging set of parameters for a given project, with fire-retardancy and stability issues being two of the most important and often the most difficult. Fortunately, modern designers of traditional ships now have new technologies available which not only can facilitate the solutions to these design problems but in many cases can be hidden within the structure so as not to adversely effect the overall goals of the client and the ship (Fig. 1).

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