(m4boat-wa-2013-0613.1702) Paddle Boats in Burrow Pass
The following is is a list of historical boats and ship types, which will eventually include any classification of water vessels that has ever been used. The classifications are not all mutually exclusive; a vessel may be both a full-rigged ship by description, and a collier or frigate by function. This list will begin with smaller vessels that are considered to be boats and will be followed by the larger ships.
Types of Boats
Motor Powered
Cabin Cruiser
Spacious and livable power boat
Fishing boat
Small gas powered open craft
Pontoon Boat
gentle cruising, very versatile boat
Ski Boat
versatile vessel with inboard engine
Trawler Boats
Round bottom, large cabin with amenities
Oar Powered
Canoe
Lightweight narrow oar powered calm water vessel, pointed at both ends
Dinghies
Small flat bottom vessel, usually inflatable
Kayac
Small narrow oar powered white water vessel, pointed at both ends
Pram
Utility boat with transom bow rather than pointed bow
Tender
Smaller oar powered vessel carried as lifeboat by larger boat
Wind Powered, Sail boat
Catamaran
Multi hulled craft with small displacement
Daysailer
small sailing vessel, some with outboard motors
Types of Ships
Motor Powered
Aircraft Carrier (CV):
Naval vessel able to launch and retrieve airplanes.
Amphibious ship (LHS):
various size vessels-landing personnel and vehicles.
Aviso: (Spanish or French)
A dispatch boat, later applied to Royal Navy sloop
Battlecruiser (CC):
A heavily-armed cruiser like a battleship but with less armor
Pre-dreadnought (B):
Battleships predating dreadnought, mixed calibers guns
Super-dreadnought (BB):
Early 20th century battleship with all big gun armament
Battleship (BB):
A large, heavily armored and heavily gunned powered warship
Coastal defense ship:
A vessel built for coastal defense
Corvette (FS):
A small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, smaller than frigate
Cruise ship:
A ship used for carrying passengers on pleasure cruises
Cruiser (C):
A warship that is larger than a destroyer, but smaller than a battleship
Destroyer (DD):
A warship mainly used for anti-submarine warfare
Destroyer escort (DE):
A lighter destroyer intended primarily for escort duties
Hydrofoil:
A ship with hull is fitted underneath with shaped vanes (foils)
Foils are used to lift the hull out of the water at speed.
Landing Ship, Tank (LCT)(LCTA):
Military ship for landing troops and vehicles
Liberty ship:
A welded American merchant ship of the late Second World War
It was designed for rapid construction in large quantity
Liner, ocean liner:
A large passenger ship, usually running on a regular schedule.
The same vessel may be used as a cruise ship
Littoral combat ship (LCS):
Intermediate warship, between corvette and frigate
similar to a sloop
Merchantman:
A trading vessel, cargo ship and passenger carrier
Originally sailing but later motorized
Armed merchantman:
A trading vessel possessing weapons for self-defense
Used during days of piracy, privateers and wartime
Merchant aircraft carrier:
A merchant vessel capable of launching aircraft
Used to launch anti-submarine aircraft during wartime
Merchant raider:
Armed vessel used for raiding disguised as a merchant vessel
Used during the world wars
Mine Layer (CM) (MM):
A non-steam, diesel powered vessel.
Mine Sweeper (MS):
A non-steam, diesel powered vessel.
Monitor (MON):
A small warship with shallow draft, for coastal operations
Motor ship (MS) or motor vessel (MV):
A non-steam, diesel powered vessel.
Oil Tanker:
A large ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products.
Pansarskepp (Swedish)
Heavy gunboat designed for coastal or colonial service
Panterschepen (Dutch)
A heavy gunboats designed for coastal or colonial service
Q-ship:
A heavily-armed merchantman vessel
Used during wartime to lure submarines into surface attacking
Royal Mail Ship:
Any ship carrying mail for the British Royal Mail (RMS)
Typically a fast liner carrying passengers.
Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH):
A modern design catamaran built for stability in rough seas
predominantly used for research vessels
Troopship:
A ship used for transporting troops during wartime.
Large ocean liners, fast enough to outrun warships, were used for this purpose
Victory ship:
Mass-produced cargo ship of the Second World War
Successor to the Liberty ship
Steam Powered
Steamship
A ship propelled by a steam engine; includes steam frigates.
Ship prefix SS for merchant vessels
Ironclad:
A wooden warship with external iron plating
Paddle steamer:
A steam-propelled, paddle-driven vessel
Tramp steamer:
A steamer which takes on cargo when and where it can find it
Oar Powered
Bireme:
An ancient vessel, propelled by two banks of oars
Dromons:
Ancient precursors to galleys
Galley:
A warship propelled by oars with a sail for use in favorable wind
Karve:
A small type of Viking longship, often sixteen oar powered
Longship:
A shallow draft Viking raiding ship with oars and later sail
Penteconter:
An ancient warship propelled by 50 oars, 25 on each side
Polyreme:
A modern term for ancient warships propelled by oarsmen
Numerous configurations depending on number of oarsmen
Pram:
Shallow-draught flat-bottomed ship, pushed through a canal with long pole
Quinquereme:
An ancient warship propelled by three banks of oars
respectively the top, middle, and lower banks had two, two, and one men per oar
Trireme:
An ancient warship propelled by three banks of oars per side
Wind Powered, Sail boat
Barque:
Three or more masted Vessel, fore-and-aft rigged on only the aftermost
Barquentine:
Three of more masted vessel, square-rigged only on the foremast
Bilander:
A ship or brig with a lug-rigged mizzen sail
Birlinn:
(Scots) Clinker-built, single-masted with a square sail, rowable
Blockade runner:
A ship whose current business is to slip past a blockade
Boita:
A cargo vessel used for trade between Eastern India and Indochina
Brig:
A two-masted, square-rigged vessel
Brigantine:
Two-masted: Foremast-square-rigged; Main-fore-and-aft rigged
Caravel: (Portuguese)
A much smaller, two, sometimes three-masted ship
Carrack:
Three or four masted ship, square-rigged forward, lateen-rigged aft
14th to 16th century successor to the cog
Cartel:
A small boat used to negotiate between enemies
Catboat:
A single masted vessel; carried well forward, near the bow of the boat
Clipper:
A multiple-masted ship, used by merchants because of their speed
Cog:
Plank built, one mast, square rigged
12th to 14th century, superseded the longship
Collier:
A vessel designed for the coal trade
Dhow:
A vessel with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails
traditional sailing vessels used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region
Drekar:
A Viking longship with sails and oars
East Indiaman
Armed merchantman owned by one of the East India companies
Felucca:
A traditional Arab type of sailing vessel
Fire ship:
Vessel set on fire, & sent forth to cause enemy concern and destruction
Fluyt: (Dutch)
A vessel with multiple decks and two or three square-rigged masts
Primarily used for merchant purposes
Flüte (French):
A fluyt-like warship with reduced armament used as a transport
Frigate (FF):
Warships of many sizes and roles over the past few centuries
Galleass:
A sailing and rowing warship, equally well suited to sailing or rowing
Galleon:
A sixteenth century sailing warship
Galliot:
A types of sailing vessel, usually two-masted
Gunboat:
Various small armed vessels, originally sail and later powered
Junk:
A Chinese ship widely used in ancient far east and South China sea
Variations include: Fu Ship, Kwong Ship
Ketch:
A two-masted, fore-and-aft sloop rigged boat
The rear mizzenmast is smaller than foremast and stepped forward of rudder.
Knarr:
A large type of Viking cargo ship, fit for Atlantic crossings
Lorcha:
A sailing ship with mixed Chinese rig and western design hull
Used since 16th century in far east.
Man-of-war:
A heavily-armed sailing warship
Mistico:
Small, fast two or three-masted Mediterranean sailing vessel
Nef:
A large medieval sailing ship
Packet:
A sailing ship that carried mail, passengers and freight
Pinisi or Phinisi:
A fast, two-masted ship
Traditionally used by the Bugis of Eastern Indonesia
Pinnace:
A 16th century ship of trans-oceanic voyages with 50 plus tonnage
Usually defined as a type of tender carried by another ship
Schooner:
A fore and aft-rigged vessel with two or more masts,
the foremast is shorter than the main mast
Settee:
Single-decked, single or double-masted vessle carrying a settee sail
Mediterranean cargo vessel
Shallop:
A large, heavily built, sixteenth-century boat which is fore-and-aft rigged
more recently a poetically frail open boat
Ship, Full-rigged Ship:
Historic Sailing vessel w/ three or more full-rigged masts.
Ship is now used for any large watercraft
Ship of the line [of battle]:
Warship of first, second or third rate, (64 or more guns)
Until the 1750s, fourth rates (50-60 guns) also served in the line of battle.
Succeeded by the powered battleship
Slave Ship
A cargo vessel converted to transport slaves
Sloop
A fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel with a single mast
later a powered warship intermediate in size between a corvette and a frigate
Snow
A small ship with foremast, mainmast and a trysail mast behind the main;
sometimes armed as a warship with two to ten guns
Tartane or tartan:
A single-masted ship used for fishing and coastal trading
Found in the Mediterranean from the 17th to the late 19th century,
usually rigged with a large lateen sail, and a fore-sail to the bowsprit.
Trabaccolo:
A type of Mediterranean coastal sailing vessel
Xebec:
A three masted, lateen rigged with overhanging bow and stern
A Mediterranean sailing ship which was also powered by oars
Yacht:
A recreational ship with sail and or powered
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