Gallery of Ships
A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying goods or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished from boats, based on size, shape, load capacity, and tradition.
A liner is a vessel designed primarily to carry passengers on a set schedule. There was a time when ocean liners were more than the mere pleasure cruisers of today. Before the advent of modern air travel, ships were the primary means of transport for those needing to cross the oceans. Untold numbers of immigrants came to this country in passenger liners, most in steerage class, a far cry from the modern floating pleasure palaces.
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The schooner barge was the final development of the working sailing ship. The design originally evolved in the 1870s on the Great Lakes, where it was found that sailing ships could be more profitably towed from place to place than sailed. No longer subject to the vagaries of the wind, such trips could be made on a scheduled basis, and with reduced labor costs. The idea spread into general use, resulting in the conversion of many sailing ships into barges. Ironically, most of the vessels that were converted to schooner barges were not actually schooners, but square-rigged ships. Square-riggers, with their large and expensive crews of skilled sailors, became uneconomical to operate in the face of ever-improving steam power, while more efficient schooners managed to compete for a few years longer.
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A harbor pilot is a person who takes control of a seagoing ship when it is entering or leaving port. He is expertly familiar with all the channels, shoals, currents, tides, and regulations of his particular port, and is essential to safely steer the ships in and out. It is an ancient and exclusive profession, often passed down from father to son*. In old days, the top two signal flags at right were used by ships entering and exiting a harbor to call for a pilot, while the bottom flag indicated "pilot on board."
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A barge is a vessel that does not have its own means of propulsion ( usually. ) Barges are towed or pushed from place to place by tugboats, or anchored in place to serve as temporary work platforms, floating docks, or storage. Some barges are self-propelled, in a limited way. These are known as scows, and their limited propulsive power restricts them to protected waters without the assistance of a tugboat.
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A ferry is a ship designed to transport people or vehicles across the water on a regular schedule. Ferries generally cover only short distances in protected areas and are not designed for the open sea. The distinction between a ferry and a steamer is a blurred one, though, especially in the waters around New York City, where the same company might operate a cross-river vehicle and passenger ferries, and cross-bay passenger steamers, all for the same commuter service. Some ferries even carried rail cars.
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