ally adopted at other American colonial ports, partic- 

 ularly at New York and in Delaware waters. At this 

 period pilot boats were rarely over 55 feet long, 35 to 

 45 feet being the average. 



The other was the seagoing schooner produced on 

 the Chesapeake and in the vicinity. This vessel also 

 drew much more water aft than forward and the main 

 deck was but little above the waterline. It had a 

 strongly rising floor, well rounded bilge, and some 

 tumble-home in the topside amidships, giving it a 

 characteristic heart-shaped midsection. These vessels 

 usually had a rounded stem profile, sometimes with a 

 small gammon-knee head and, very rarely, mouldings 

 or car\ings. They had high main-deck bulwarks 

 pierced for carriage guns; many of those built before 

 1780 had high, short quarterdecks. They were rela- 

 tiV'Cly sharp ended and, like the small pilot boats, were 

 built to sail very fast and carried a large spread of sail 

 in the square-topsail schooner rig of the period, con- 

 sisting of two or more headsails, fore and main sails, 

 main-topmast staysail, fore course, square topsail, 

 topgallant and, occasionally square main topsails 

 with light sails in addition. As early as 1757 some of 

 these schooners were 80 feet long, and capable of car- 

 rying 14 carriage guns. This class came to be popular 

 during the Revolution; the number of schooners be- 

 tween 75 and 80 feet on deck became very great, and 

 brigs and brigantines were also built on this model at 

 that time, if not before. 



In New England this "sharp" vessel was represented 

 by the Marblehcad schooner class, a type of fast-sailing 

 Banks fisherman. These had more capacity for their 

 size than the average Chesapeake schooner and com- 

 monly had rather upright stems, sometimes with a 

 small gammon head and a little carving. The mid- 

 section resembled that of the Chesapeake model and 

 they had short, high quarterdecks fitted with bul- 

 warks. Some had bulwarks on the main deck pierced 

 for guns, but many had no more than a log rail there. 

 The masts had much rake and the schooners carried a 

 rig somewhat similar to the Virginia pilot boat, but 

 with masts supported by standing rigging. At times 

 these schooners were fitted with the rig of a square- 

 topsail schooner, particularly for trading voyages. 

 The first vessels fitted out as cruisers by the American 

 Revolutionary authorities were of this type. 



The surviving plans of these three classes of schooners 

 show that the southern seagoing, or pilot-boat, schoon- 

 ers and the Marblehead type retained the basic form 

 of the old Bermuda, or Jamaica, sloop but with differ- 

 ent proportions. 



It would be natural for the colonial shipbuilders to 

 apply the Bermuda sloop-Chesapeake schooner hull 

 form to large ships, when a fast-sailing merchantman 

 or privateer was required. It is not yet possible to state 

 when this was first done in America, but it has already 

 been shown (p. 17) that the model was applied in 

 England in at least one instance in 1739 and there is, 

 therefore, no sound reason to doubt that the sharp- 

 model full-rigged ship existed in the colonies, as well 

 as in Britain, long before the Revolution. During the 

 Revolution the construction of privateer ships pro- 

 duced such vessels, and plans of a number have been 

 found; these were made after their capture by the 

 British. 



One such vessel was the Rattlesnake of Salem, Massa- 

 chusetts, said to have been built at Plymouth and 

 designed by the first American naval architect known, 

 John Peck. This ship was quite sharp ended and had 

 the heart-shaped midsection of a schooner; she was 89 

 feet 3 inches on deck, 22 feet 4 inches beam, and 8 

 feet 10)^ inches depth in the hold. Another such ves- 

 sel was bought for the Royal Navy as the Barbadoes in 

 1784; she was also quite sharp in section and had 

 rather fine lines, and was 97 feet 7 inches on deck, 24 

 feet 11 'finches beam, and 10 feet 7 inches depth in 

 hold. Her place of building and her original name 

 have not been determined, though she was described 

 in her naval papers as "American built," and her plan 

 is so marked. Comparison of the plans of this vessel 

 with those of the full-model American and British 

 ships of the same period show that the Barbadoes was 

 large for her time and the application of the sharp- 

 model to a ship of such size indica tes that there was an 

 extensive background of experience with merchant 

 vessels of this form and approximate size. 



The sharp-model colonial vessel is likewise repre- 

 sented by plans of the fine American-built 2-master 

 Swift, originally a schooner but rerigged as a brig 

 when taken into the British Navy in 1783, having been 

 captured in 1779. She was a sharp model, with short 

 quarterdeck, measuring 75 feet 6 inches on deck, 20 

 feet 10 inches beam, and 7 feet 9 inches depth. An- 

 other example was a large American schooner taken 

 into the Royal Navy in 1780 as the Berbice, a very 

 sharp vessel having a short, high quarterdeck and 

 measuring 72 feet 9 inches on deck, and 20 feet 8 

 inches beam, and 8 feet depth. It will be seen that 

 there are too many plans of American-built vessels of 

 the Revolutionary period in existence to permit ac- 

 ceptance of the tradition of French influence on early 

 American shij) design. 



19 



