Tern
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2008 6:24 pm
This stamp depicts a North American 3-masted or "tern" schooner, which generally had a high carrying capacity but a low speed. The First World War stimulated demands for faster models. Nova Scotia boat-builders combined the modern fishing schooner's hull with the 3-masted fore and aft rig to produce a streamlined type of craft. They had a high attrition rate, several being lost on their maiden voyages. They were originally built in the 19th century, and over the years, terns pried the South American, West Indian, Mediterranean and coastal routes, trading in salt, fish, gypsum, lumber, and sugar. SG904