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To a sailor, a ship is one which has three masts each of which is square-rigged. Other vessels are barques, sloops, xebecs and so on. In Kydd's day, the Royal Navy was a mighty force with many hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of men. Although Lloyd's List abandoned the convention of calling ships “she” in 2002, the Royal Navy proudly continues to honour this tradition. There are many theories as to why ships have been referred to as female since the very earliest mariners sailed the seas. Perhaps it is something to do with the love a sailor has for his ship, of the innate beauty of the lines of a tall ship |
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Maneuverability of sailing warships to c1860 Configuration and rating of ships of the Royal Navy The Full-rigged ship of the eighteenth century |
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