HC Great Ships - The Schooners (1997)

Schooners were among the first ships developed in America, and with their graceful lines and relative ease of handling, they remain popular among recreational sailors to this day. But while now it is devoted hobbyists who preserve wooden schooners like Maine's famous “windjammers,” for hundreds of years they were the backbone of America's commercial shipping fleet. And in both the Revolution and the War of 1812, these ships played a vital role in winning and preserving the freedom of the nation. THE SCHOONERS takes a long look at the most American of all sailing ships. Go aboard exquisitely preserved ships for an up-close look at them in action, and meet the men and women who preserve the shipwright's art by keeping these aging beauties afloat. Learn of the vital role they played as America's first naval vessels, battling the British and patrolling the coasts. And see why the schooner was adapted to countless uses, from the mainstay of the fishing fleet to privateering. It's an action-splashed voyage through the history of one of the most important and influential sailing ships ever built.

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