Methinks SS Traveler were a steamship what sunk in 1853 or thereabouts. She most likely carried sail also as most steamships did in them days. I can't say if that in fact be her from this distance. Hand me a glass.
She does go to sea from time to time for what are called demonstration tours, though she's in drydock for the next couple of years and won't be sailing..but even when she does sail it would be unusual to carry a full press of sail as in the photo... after looking at this long and hard and under magnification I'm coming around to the belief that those who think it's not real are probably correct..there's just something not right about it..sure hope someone will come up with the straight skinny and let us know..( the term 'straight skinny' is naval terminology for "the actual facts of the matter " )
Excellent description and your knowledge of old nautical terminology is impressive. But, there is way too much bow wave and there is a line of white water extending out beyond and to port of the bow sprit. This picture isn't right. Furthermore, the water's surface, closest to the "camera" leads me to suspect that und kein Name (below) is correct about it being a rendering. It's just not natural.
That's called "having a bone in her teeth"...this is a bluff-bowed ship, as most ships were before the clippers came along..they butted their way through the seas rather than slicing through them, and at speed they'd throw a breaking wave out in front of them...some of the bit of white to the left of the bow looks as if it might be from the end of trhe lower spar of that starboard studding sail ( I believe that's the right term ) on the forward mast digging into the swell a bit, as she's heeled to that side..real photo or not ??? quien sabe ? But the sight of a big ship like that under a full press of sail like this one does have a qiality of unreality to it...theses were among the most magnificent moving objects ever created by the hand of man...
