Introduction
During the 16th and 17th centuries, ships became longer, and faster. Ships began using taller masts with more sails to power these larger vessels over longer distances. The barque was a type of ship which usually had at least three or more masts. The spelling may differ depending on the language used. Spanish and Portuguese may use “barca;” French and English often use the “barque” spelling, while the American spelling is often “bark.”¹ The word barque most likely comes from the Latin word barca which means “barge.”² However, today, a barge is a different type of ship from the barque.

History and Development
The earliest use of the word barque sometimes referred to different ship styles. During the middle ages, barque referred to small Mediterranean vessels that had square and triangular sails.³ They were known for having a shallow-draft, which allowed them to be used in rivers and coastal areas. Sailors would use them for different activities such as fishing or transporting cargo. As more people traveled across oceans, cargo ships, like the barque, were essential for transporting goods. Also, these ships were designed to be larger, and faster, than ships like a caravel. Despite being larger, barques actually required smaller crew to manage and control the ship. Early Europeans called most ships that had…Over the centuries, the barque became more identified by the number of masts and rigging style. 

Design and Construction

A barque had at least three masts, although some barques had more. The mast closest to the front (bow) of the ship was called the foremast. The mast in the middle was the main mast. The mast closest to the back (stern) of the ship was the aftermast. Rigging are the ropes and lines that control the sails and masts on a ship. What makes a barque different from many other ships of its time is its fore-and-aft rigging on the aftermast. What does this mean? Most wooden ships during the Age of Exploration had square sails. Some smaller vessels, like the dhow, used a triangle shaped sail. Barques used both sail shapes – square and triangular. The fore and main masts had square rigged sails, while the aftermast had triangular rigged sails.⁴ The square sails were perpendicular to the ship, like a “T.” The fore-and-aft sails ran parallel to the ship, like “=.”

Endnotes

1.  Beverly McMillan, editor, Aak to Zumbra: A Dictionary of the World’s Watercraft, (Newport News: The Mariners Museum, 2000), 421.
2.  Graham Blackburn, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ships, Boats, Vessels and Other Water-borne Craft, (New York: The Overlook Press, 1978), 31.
3.  Blackburn, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ships, 35.
4.  Blackburn, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ships, 36.