Steam brig

A steam brig is a two-masted sailing ship with auxiliary steam power. ^[1] The key advantage was that the ship could sail up-wind and it could use the steam power to move relative to the wind for an advantageous sailing angle. ^[1]

In practice, the disadvantages combined rather than the advantages. The type had great wind-resistance, leading to an increased use of fuel up-wind compared to a pure steam ship. At the same time, the requirement to store coal reduced the cargo space over that of a sailing ship. It thus combined the slow speed, high maintenance and poor righting (ability to resist capsize and wind) of a sailing ship with the small cargo space and fuel expense of a steam ship.

The ship was typically abbrievated as StBrig - steam brig. ^[2]

Examples

A prominent early example was the steam brig New York, built at Newcastle Street, Norfolk, Va., in 1821. ^{[3] [4]}

A British example was the Sunniside, an 1830s cargo vessel. ^[1]

References

1. "1831: First cargo exported". Port Of Middlesbrough. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
2. "Ship Abbreviations and Symbols". NHHC. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
3. "The Early History of Ocean Steam Navigation". Scientific American. 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
4. Gratwick, Harry (2012-04-08). Stories from the Maine Coast. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-1-62584-076-9.

See also

• sail-plan
• rigging
• sailing ship
• steam ship