Square rig

Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which a sailing vessel's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars that are perpendicular to the median plane of the keel and masts of the vessel. These spars are called and their tips, outside the lifts, are called the. A ship mainly rigged so is called a square-rigger.
In "Jackspeak", it also refers to the dress uniform of junior ratings.

History

Single sail square rigs were used by the ancient Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Celts. Later the Scandinavians, the Germanic peoples, and the Slavs adopted the single square-rigged sail, with it becoming one of the defining characteristics of the classic "Viking" ships.