Topsail schooner Opal off the coast of Greenland

A first rate ship-of-the-line beating up Plymouth Sound and calling for a pilot to take her into the Hamoaze, by Nicholas Matthew Condy, 1816-1851

Replica of 18th-century Swedish Gotheborg ship sails under Tower Bridge

USS Constitution in Charlestown Navy Yard during a thunderstorm.

The term, which comes from English to jam the wind, which means “to press the wind” - ships that press against the wind or that are pressed (down) by the wind.

The term has nothing to do with moaning in the sense of the german word  jammern which means moaning, complaining, howling. Although one often reads of the wind howling in the yards.

Windjammer in the Port of Hamburg around 1900 (x) 

Windjammer is a type of tall ship that emerged after the clipper era in the second half of the 19th century and succeeded the fast sailers. They were tall ships made of wood, iron and steel and designed more for carrying capacity, handling and economy, which had to bring in profits for their shipowners. The later, cargo sailing training ships also belong to this category. Over the decades, the ships were also optimised in terms of speed and handling. Today, it is synonymous with “tall ships” and, as the last generation of windjammers, includes modern sail training ships and cruise ships such as the Sea Cloud.