As the size of vessels increased during the mid-19th century, so did the size of the masts, yards, and sails. By the mid-1850's the large topsails had become so enormous and unmanageable on large vessels that they were split into two separate sails; upper topsails and lower topsails, each on its own yard. This meant that each sail could be handled separately.
This new rig is shown clearly in the painting of the Marlborough, a ship of 1383 tons, built at Hantsport in Nova Scotia in 1863 by Elisha E. Fuller. The vessel was owned by Ezra Churchill and Sons of Hantsport for over thirty years. It was lost at sea on April 4, 1898.
Note the signal flags on the mizzen mast below the red ensign. They read, from top to bottom, V. J. G. H. Signal letters were first introduced in 1855 and were used for identification purposes. The Churchill house flag flies at the top of the main mast.
The painting is by W.H. York, a well-known marine artist of Liverpool, England and is dated 1883. The master at that time was R.L. Salter.
Courtesy: Public Archives of Nova Scotia, Halifax, N.S.
