A brig is a sailing ship with two square-rigged masts. In addition to being a general term for large vessels, ‘ship’ refers specifically to a square-rigged vessel with three masts. The brig is different from the brigantine and hermaphrodite brig, which have a gaff-rigged mainsail, while a brig has a square mainsail with an additional gaff-rigged spanker (or driver) behind the mainsail. Note the furled mainsail in the image above.
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