We have container ships, oil tankers, old-timey wooden sailing ships ... Even for the late 19th century, that was slow. A depiction of the roller ship concept in Cassier’s Magazine, 1897.

Until the late 19th century, Hokuriku was the hub for a vital trading route plied by sailing ships known as kitamaebune. While carrying cargo from Hokkaido all the way to Osaka, these vessels also ...

Sailing ships ... 18th and early 19th centuries, white sailors were drafted into the Royal Navy. Asian, African and West Indian men took their jobs onboard merchant sailing ships.