Consort (nautical)

Last updated

Consort is a nautical term with two related meanings; it is used to describe any ship deliberately accompanying another, but in the context of Great Lakes vessels, it refers to an unpowered schooner barge or steamer barge, towed by a steamer or tugboat.

1. Consort is a nautical term for unpowered Great Lakes vessels, usually a fully loaded schooner barge or steamer barge, towed by a larger steamer that would often tow more than one barge. The consort system was used in the Great Lakes from the 1860s to around 1920. [1] Mariner and historian Mark Thompson wrote that the unpowered barges were "uninspected vessels" not regulated by the marine safety laws. He reported that between 1870 and 1940, the dangerous practice of towing unpowered vessels resulted in many of the most serious groundings when they broke loose or were cut loose during storms. [2]
2. Consort is also used as the term for any ship sailing alongside another, [3] particularly as an escort or ship's tender. Pirates who sailed in small fleets were often described as sailing "in consort" to one another, that is, one ship following or escorting another to whom it was allied; for example; Thomas Howard's Prosperous and John Bowen's Speedy Return:
"The Speedy Return sailed with her prize to the Malabar Coast where they had agreed to rendezvous should they accidentally part company. Six days later the Prosperous joined her consort but without any prize, though she had taken one which she robbed ... " [4]

Another example from the US Congressional Record of 1917, discussing whether neutral merchant ships could lawfully attack submarines:

"Suppose the case of two vessels of ours, sailing in consort we will say, or one within reach of the S.O.S. call of another on the high seas. ... certainly the consort of that vessel, or any other vessel hearing the S.O.S. call, must at once make its escape and get away from the submarine instead of going to the assistance of its sister vessel so being illegally attacked." [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barge</span> Flat-bottomed watercraft for transport of bulk goods

Barge typically refers to a flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and marine water environments. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but on inland waterways, most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. The term barge has a rich history, and therefore there are many types of barges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigantine</span> Two-masted sailing vessel

A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail. The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brig</span> Sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts

A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part of the 19th century. In commercial use, they were gradually replaced by fore-and-aft rigged vessels such as schooners, as owners sought to reduce crew costs by having rigs that could be handled by fewer men. In Royal Navy use, brigs were retained for training use when the battle fleets consisted almost entirely of iron-hulled steamships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scow</span> Type of flat-bottomed barge

A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours. Scows were in common use in the American Great Lakes and other parts of the U.S., Canada, southern England, and New Zealand. In modern times their main purpose is for recreation and racing; there are also garbage scows for aquatic transport of refuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watercraft</span> Water-borne conveyance

A watercraft or waterborne vessel is any vehicle designed for travel across or through water bodies, such as a boat, ship, hovercraft, submersible or submarine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost ship</span> Ship with no living people onboard

A ghost ship, also known as a phantom ship, is a vessel with no living crew aboard; it may be a fictional ghostly vessel, such as the Flying Dutchman, or a physical derelict found adrift with its crew missing or dead, like the Mary Celeste. The term is sometimes used for ships that have been decommissioned but not yet scrapped, as well as drifting boats that have been found after breaking loose of their ropes and being carried away by the wind or the waves.

This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water. Some remain current, while many date from the 17th to 19th centuries. The word nautical derives from the Latin nauticus, from Greek nautikos, from nautēs: "sailor", from naus: "ship".

HMS <i>Safari</i> Royal Navy S-class submarine which served in World War II

HMS Safari was a third batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Commissioned in 1942, she was assigned to operate in the Mediterranean Sea. During the course of the war, Safari sank twenty-five ships, most of which were Italian.

<i>Madeira</i> (ship) Barge that sank in Lake Superior in 1905

Madeira was a schooner barge that sank off the coast of Minnesota in Lake Superior on November 28, 1905. A schooner barge is a type of ship that functions like a barge, in that it is towed by a steamship, but also has sails like a schooner. This type of ship evolved from wooden sailing ships that were cut down into barges and towed behind wooden steamships, a practice which originated in the late 1880s in coastal areas. This design was commonly used in the Great Lakes for transporting grain, iron ore, and other products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaleback</span> Type of cargo steamship

A whaleback was a type of cargo steamship of unusual design, with a hull that continuously curved above the waterline from vertical to horizontal. When fully loaded, only the rounded portion of the hull could be seen above the waterline. With sides curved in towards the ends, it had a spoon bow and a very convex upper deck. It was formerly used on the Great Lakes of Canada and the United States, notably for carrying grain or ore. The sole surviving ship of the "whaleback" design is the SS Meteor, which is docked in Superior, Wisconsin, as a museum ship.

USCGC <i>Ossipee</i> United States Coast Guard cutter launched in 1915

USCGC Ossipee (WPR-50) was a United States Coast Guard cutter of the Tallapoosa class constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding of Newport News, Virginia, and commissioned 28 July 1915. Her hull was strengthened for light icebreaking operations. She was assigned a homeport of Portland, Maine, after commissioning and cruised as far south as Cape Ann, Massachusetts, serving in a law enforcement and search and rescue capacity. She saw service in both World War I and World War II.

USS <i>Wadena</i> Patrol vessel of the United States Navy

USS Wadena (SP-158) was a converted yacht patrol vessel of the United States Navy during World War I. She was built in 1891 in Cleveland, Ohio, as a steam yacht for Jeptha Homer Wade II of Cleveland and New York City. During her Navy career, Wadena made several trips escorting submarine chasers across the Atlantic Ocean, and, later, patrolling in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. on 26 February 1918 Wadena came to the aid of sinking tug Mariner and rescued all of her crew.

USS <i>Acushnet</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

Acushnet – a steel-hulled revenue cutter – was launched on 16 May 1908 at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; sponsored by Miss Alayce Duff; and commissioned at Baltimore on 6 November 1908. She saw service as a United States Revenue Cutter Service cutter, a U.S. Navy fleet tug, and as a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. She was taken out of service 8 January 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Indies anti-piracy operations of the United States</span>

The West Indies Anti-Piracy Operations were a series of military operations and engagements undertaken by the United States Navy against pirates in and around the Antilles. Between 1814 and 1825, the American West Indies Squadron hunted pirates on both sea and land, primarily around Cuba and Puerto Rico. After the capture of Roberto Cofresi in 1825, acts of piracy became rare, and the operation was considered a success, although limited occurrences went on until slightly after the start of the 20th century.

<i>General Miles</i> Steamship

General Miles was a steamship constructed in 1882 which served in various coastal areas of the states of Oregon and Washington, as well as British Columbia and the territory of Alaska. It was apparently named after US General Nelson A. Miles.

<i>Minnedosa</i> (schooner barge) Wooden Great Lakes schooner

Minnedosa was a four-masted wooden Great Lakes schooner launched in 1890. This was late in the era of sailing ships and it spent its career as a schooner barge, towed by a steam tug. It was lost with its nine crew and passengers and a heavy load of grain in a storm October 20, 1905 on Lake Huron.

SS <i>Selah Chamberlain</i> Great Lakes freighter that sank on Lake Michigan in 1886

SS Selah Chamberlain was a wooden-hulled Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Michigan in 1886, 6 miles (10 km) off the coast of Sheboygan, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States after being rammed by the steamer John Pridgeon Jr. with the loss of five lives. On January 7, 2019, the wreck of Selah Chamberlain was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was given the reference number 100003288. She was the first shipwreck listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windjammer</span> Commercial sailing ship with multiple masts and rig configurations

A windjammer is a commercial sailing ship with multiple masts that may be square rigged, or fore-and-aft rigged, or a combination of the two. The informal term "windjammer" arose during the transition from the Age of Sail to the Age of Steam during the 19th century. The Oxford English Dictionary records the word "windjamming" from 1886 and "windjammer" with reference to a ship from 1892. The term has evolved to include such a vessel, carrying passengers on overnight cruises in the Caribbean, the U.S. state of Maine and elsewhere.

This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water. Some remain current, while many date from the 17th to 19th centuries. The word nautical derives from the Latin nauticus, from Greek nautikos, from nautēs: "sailor", from naus: "ship".

References

  1. "Nautical Glossary". University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute]. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
  2. Thompson, Mark L. (2000). Graveyard of the Lakes. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. pp. 331–332. ISBN   0-8143-3226-9 . Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  3. "consort - Wiktionary". en.wiktionary.org. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  4. Grey, Charles (1933). Pirates of the eastern seas (1618-1723): a lurid page of history. London: S. Low, Marston & co., ltd. p. 239. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  5. Congress, United States (1917). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 4383. Retrieved 16 July 2017.