The original ship rig reflected continued faith in oceanic cruising under canvas and was insisted upon by Captain Arthur Hood. Its 24,000 square feet of sail created enough heeling force to make Shannon difficult to handle. Service experience forced a reduction to a barque rig, although the change removed only a modest amount of sail area. The episode shows how institutional preferences could survive into a steam warship even when trials demonstrated that they undermined stability and handling.
Chapter · 9:21-10:19
Sail area that threatened stability
A full ship rig insisted upon by Captain Arthur Hood proved excessive and was reduced to a barque rig after service trials.