The Better The Schooner by David Goligorsky
Aesthetics, Design, Engineering, history, wood
The Thomas W. Lawson is the only seven-masted schooner ever built and holds the honor of being the largest schooner even built. Additionally, it is the largest ever pure-sailing ship (a sailing ship without auxiliary engine for propulsion). That said, it failed to carry the amount of cargo that it was designed for, sailors likened the handling to that of a "beached whale," and the boat was relegated to coastal shipping of coal instead of the mighty transatlantic voyages it was meant for. When it did finally set sail for London, it was torn to bits, killing ...