World chapter · 02
Sailing Ships and Construction.
A sailing ship is a load-bearing system made from timber, canvas, rope and labor. Once its structure and rig are understood, ship names become more than silhouettes.
Chapter missions
Start with these missions
Explore hulls, masts, sails and rigging, then see how historic vessels answered the demands of trade, distance and war.
Sailing ship anatomy: hull, deck, masts and rig
Trace how keel, frames, planking, decks, masts, sails and rigging carry force through one wooden system.
8 MIN ↗What was a galleon?
A long-lived family of ocean-going sailing ships adapted to cargo, distance, artillery and the needs of different maritime powers.
7 MIN ↗Route archive · Later missions
03 SIGNALSSloop or galleon: what is the difference?
Compare speed, rig, crew, cargo and firepower without treating ship names as fixed across every century.
What did a ship’s figurehead mean?
Figureheads joined decoration, identity, political display and protective symbolism at the most visible point of the hull.
How did a sailing warship fire a broadside?
Gun decks, loading cycles, aim, recoil and crew training made naval artillery a ship-wide operating system.