Brig

The bergantin-goleta Irving Johnson.

The USS Niagara.

The brig is a vessel with two masts, the mainmast and the foresail, with bowsprit and square sails. For mainsail it has a large gaff and sometimes another larger round one. In this case it is called round brigor (brig in English). It was used for coastal surveillance, transportation, mail, warning, and combat actions. She was characterized by her balance between her destructive power and her great speed, agility in maneuvering, and suitability for transportation. She had room for a hundred men and could carry up to 24 artillery pieces; she also displaced up to 150 tons. She could navigate in various conditions.

History

The warship called brig originally appeared in the 13th century in the Mediterranean Sea, and referred to a warship powered by lateen sails and oars. Due to its speed and maneuverability, it was one of the favorite ships of the pirates of the Mediterranean, and to that it owes its name, derived from brigante (bandit).

The modern brig was an oarless adaptation of the Mediterranean brig, which appeared during the 17th century and was widely used until the 19th century. It was characterized by the large surface area of sails that it was capable of deploying for its displacement, which reached up to 600 t, the speed, agility in maneuvering and adequacy for transport. The brigantines were used mainly for merchant traffic, but also as privateering ships because their great speed allowed them to escape from ships and frigates and catch up with any transport; for this reason it became one of the most appreciated by pirates. For this reason, the navies incorporated the brig into their fleets, making it carry up to a dozen artillery pieces on deck for scouting and combating piracy tasks.

Derivatives of the Brigantine

• The bergantín-goleta: it is a ship, of two or more sticks, which carries a mixed candle between the one of the bergantin and the one of the goleta, usually square candles in the trinquet and the rest of the sticks with knives. For your candle, for example:
  • The Juan Sebastián Elcanoof the Spanish Navy
  • The Esmeralda School of the Chilean Navy

• The bricbarca: of three or more sticks with the first two square mat and the rest of the knife, usual arrangement in the corvettes.
  • The Cuauhtémoc school vessel of the Mexican Navy.
  • The school ship Simón Bolívar de la Armada de Venezuela.
  • Ship Guayas de la Armada de Ecuador
  • ARC Gloria of the Navy of Colombia (Buque escuela e insignia de la Academia Naval). Built in Spain in 1968, it is the smallest and oldest of four sailboat brothers: Simón Bolívar, Guayas, Cuauhtemoc and self Glory. The Glory It is a bergantin-barca sailboat (bricbarca), with a length of 67 m, 10.6 m sleeve, a displacement of 1300 t and a crew of ten officers, 37 sub-officials, 70 pupils, three marine infants and ten civilians.