The Age of Sail was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships, lasting from the 16th to the mid 19th century. This is a significant period during which square-rigged sailing ships carried European settlers to many parts of the world in one of the most expansive human migrations in recorded history.
Like most periodic eras the definition is inexact but close enough to serve as a general description. The age of sail runs roughly from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the last significant engagement in which oar-propelled galleys played a major role, to the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862, in which the steam-powered ironclad CSS Virginia destroyed the sailing ships USS Cumberland and USS Congress, culminating with the advance of steam power, rendering sail power in warfare obsolete.
Sailing ships continued to be an economical way to transport cargo on long voyages into the 1920s. Sailing ships do not require fuel or complex engines to be powered; thus they tended to be more independent from requiring a dedicated support base on the mainland. Crucially though, steam powered ships held a speed advantage and were rarely hindered by adverse winds, freeing steam-powered vessels from the necessity of following trade winds. As a result, cargo and supplies could reach a foreign port in half the time it took a sailing ship. It is this factor that drove sailing ships aside. Sailing vessels were pushed into narrower and narrower economic niches (see disruptive technology) and gradually disappeared from commercial trade. Today, sailing vessels are only economically viable for small scale coastal fishing, along with recreational uses such as yachting and passenger sail excursion ships.
◀Naval Action - Beautiful Age of Sail
Golden Age of Sail Great Pirate Ship History Channel Documentary (NeW) (Full Documentary)
Naval Action Gameplay - NEW Ship, the Cutter! Naval Action Age of Sail!
Naval Action - Beautiful Age of Sail - First Look
Age of Sail II gameplay
OUR NAVY STORY, Part I, Age of Sail
Britain's global trade in the Great Days of Sail - John McAleer
Sockeye and the Age of Sail: The story of the Alaska Packers Association
Sockeye and the Age of Sail
AGE OF SAIL SCHOONERS & SAILING SHIPS / AMERICA'S CUP NEWSREEL 73412
Age of Sail
Age Of Sail Heritage Museum - Port Greville
Queens Of The Stone Age - Smooth Sailing
Queens Of The Stone Age - Smooth Sailing
◀Naval Action - Beautiful Age of Sail
Golden Age of Sail Great Pirate Ship History Channel Documentary (NeW) (Full Documentary)
Naval Action Gameplay - NEW Ship, the Cutter! Naval Action Age of Sail!
Naval Action - Beautiful Age of Sail - First Look
Age of Sail II gameplay
OUR NAVY STORY, Part I, Age of Sail
Britain's global trade in the Great Days of Sail - John McAleer
Sockeye and the Age of Sail: The story of the Alaska Packers Association
Sockeye and the Age of Sail
AGE OF SAIL SCHOONERS & SAILING SHIPS / AMERICA'S CUP NEWSREEL 73412
Age of Sail
Age Of Sail Heritage Museum - Port Greville
Queens Of The Stone Age - Smooth Sailing
Queens Of The Stone Age - Smooth Sailing
Age of sail.mpg
Age of Sail Japan
The Age of Sail.
"The Mortal Sea: Fishing the Atlantic in the Age of Sail" by W. Jeffrey Bolster
"HMS Warrior" 1860, Ironclad Battleship of the age of Sail and Steam "Portsmouth Historic Dockyard."
Age of Sail Squarerigger Frigate Constitution Revell 1:96
C&C; 40 Sailboat Model by the Art of age of Sail
Oyster 82 by the Art of Age of Sail
Age of Sail, Pt. 1 of 3