Gig (boat)

Gigs also had civilian uses, being employed to take pilots to and from ships, carrying mail and people for vessels waiting at anchor for favourable winds, salvage and lifesaving – and for smuggling.They could be found in places like the Mersey, as one of the faster and lighter boat types providing communication with ships anchored off the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts, and also from Deal to the Downs.The West Country is well known for its pilot gigs, with surviving and new-built examples now being raced at a large number of clubs in the region.A discussion with four of the local boatbuilders ensued, and they gave the firm advice that the ordered boats were not suitable for catching smugglers.[3]: 44–47, 66 When war started with France again in 1793, naval captains came to prefer smaller, lighter boats than the barges that they were issued with.Whilst this used to be a wooden, oared vessel of the traditional type, the term was retained as boats powered with engines took over this role.These powered vessels varied by the size of the ship, with aircraft carriers and, until the mid-1990s when they were decommissioned, battleships, typically assigned a double cabin cruiser that was 33 to 35 feet (10 to 11 m) in length.
A painting of HMS Pique ' s gig in 1835
Lines plan of a 32 ft Royal Navy gig of 1869
A gig that was built in 2007 (and then replaced with a newly built boat), in St Mary's Harbour [ 8 ]
U.S. Navy sailors on the USS Essex (LHD-2) raise their captain's gig aboard (2002).
Captain's Gig (horse)HMS Piqueship's boatRoyal NavycuttersMerseythe DownsWest Countrypilot gigsclinkerclinker-builtcarvelNelsonHMS ElephantNapoleonic WarstransomgunwalesHoward ChapelleWhitehall rowboatNew YorkUSS Essex (LHD-2)U.S. Navyenginesaircraft carriersbattleshipsflagshipsadmiralscience fictionStar TrekCornish pilot gigShip's boatsAge of SailLaunchPinnaceAdmiral's bargeLong boatJolly boatDinghyWhaleboatLifeboatMOB boatPicket boatTender