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For other uses, see Galleon (disambiguation).
A Spanish galleon.
A Spanish galleon.

A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries. Sailing ship is now used to refer to any large Wind -powered Vessel. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with demi-culverin. The demi-culverin was a medium Cannon similar to but slightly larger than a saker and smaller than a regular Culverin developed in the early 17th century

Galleons were an evolution of the caravel and carrack (or nao), for the new great ocean going voyages. This article is about the Caravel boat type For the carvel type of boat building see Carvel (boat building. A carrack or nau was a three- or four- masted Sailing ship developed in the Atlantic Ocean in the 15th century by the Portuguese A lowering of the forecastle and elongation of the hull gave an unprecedented level of stability in the water, and reduced wind resistance at the front, leading to a faster, more maneuverable vessel. Forecastle, also spelled fo'c's'le (ˈfoʊksəl originally meant the upper deck of a Sailing ship, forward of the Foremast. A hull is the body of a Ship or Boat. It is a central concept in floating vessels as it provides the Buoyancy that keeps the vessel from sinking The galleon differed from the older types primarily by being longer, lower and narrower, with a square tuck stern instead of a round tuck, and by having a snout or head projecting forward from the bows below the level of the forecastle. In Portugal at least, carracks were usually very large ships for their time (often over 1000 tons), while galleons were mostly under 500 tons, although the Manila galleons were to reach up to 2000 tons. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Units of mass There are three similar units of Mass called the ton: Long ton (simply ton in countries such as the United The Manila galleons or Manila-Acapulco galleons ( Galeones de Manila-Acapulco) were Spanish trading Ships that sailed once or twice Carracks tended to be lightly armed and used for transporting cargo, while galleons were purpose-built warships, and were stronger, more heavily armed, and also cheaper to build (5 galleons could cost around the same as 3 carracks) and were therefore a much better investment for use as warships. Investment or investing is a term with several closely-related meanings in Business management, Finance and Economics, related to saving There are nationalistic disputes about the origin of the galleon, which are complicated by its evolutionary development, but each Atlantic sea-power developed types suited to their needs, while constantly learning from their rivals.

The galleon was powered entirely by sail, carried on three to five masts, with a lateen sail continuing to be used on the last (usually third) mast. A sail is any type of surface intended to generate Thrust by being placed in a Wind &mdashin essence a vertically-oriented Wing. The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts A lateen (from a la trina, meaning triangular or latin-rig is a triangular Sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast They were used in both military and trade applications, most famously in the Spanish treasure fleet, and the Manila Galleons. Beginning in the 16th century the Spanish treasure fleets (or simply West Indies Fleet from Spanish Flota de Indias) transported various metal resources and agricultural In fact, galleons were so versatile that a single vessel may have been refitted for wartime and peacetime roles several times during its lifespan. The galleon was the prototype of all three or more masted, square rigged ships, for over two and a half centuries, including the later full rigged ship. A full rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel with three or more masts all of them Square rigged A full rigged ship is said to have a ship

The principal warships of the opposing English and Spanish fleets in the 1588 confrontation of the Spanish Armada were galleons, with the modified English "race built" galleons developed by John Hawkins proving decisive, while the capacious Spanish galleons, designed primarily as transports for long ocean voyages, proved incredibly durable in the battles and in the great storm on the voyage home; most survived. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Spanish Armada ( Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, "Great and Most Fortunate Navy" or Armada Invencible, "Invincible Admiral Sir John Hawkins (also spelled as John Hawkyns) ( Plymouth 1532 &ndash November 12 1595) was an English shipbuilder

Contents

Construction

The galleon's pintle and gudgeon rudder
The galleon's pintle and gudgeon rudder

Galleons were constructed from oak (for the keel), pine (for the masts) and various hardwoods for hull and decking. A rudder is a device used to steer a Ship, Boat, Submarine, Hovercraft, or other conveyance that move through a fluid (generally air or The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of about 400 species of Trees and Shrubs in the Genus Quercus (from Latin In boats and ships keel can refer to either of two parts a structural element or a hydrodynamic element This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation. The term hardwood is used to describe Wood from broad-leaved angiosperm Trees mostly Deciduous, but not necessarily in the case of tropical A hull is the body of a Ship or Boat. It is a central concept in floating vessels as it provides the Buoyancy that keeps the vessel from sinking A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a Ship. Hulls were usually carvel-built. In Boat building, carvel built or carvel planking is a method of constructing Wooden The expenses involved in galleon construction were enormous. Hundreds of expert tradesmen (including carpenters, pitch-melters, blacksmiths, coopers, shipwrights, etc. A carpenter (builder is a skilled craftsman who performs carpentry - a wide range of Woodworking that includes constructing buildings, blacksmith is a person who creates objects from Iron or Steel by Forging the Metal; i Traditionally a cooper is someone who makes Wooden staved vessels of a conical form of greater length than breadth bound See also Shipbuilding (song. Shipbuilding is the construction of Ships It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a ) worked day and night for months before a galleon was seaworthy. To cover the expense, galleons were often funded by groups of wealthy businessmen who pooled resources for a new ship. Therefore, most galleons were originally consigned for trade, although those captured by rival nations were usually put into military service.

The most common gun used aboard a galleon was the demi-culverin, although gun sizes up to demi-cannon were possible. The demi-culverin was a medium Cannon similar to but slightly larger than a saker and smaller than a regular Culverin developed in the early 17th century The Demi-cannon medium sized Cannon, similar to but slightly larger than a Culverin and smaller than a regular 42lb (19kg Cannon developed in the early

Because of the long periods often spent at sea and poor conditions on board, much of the crew often perished during the voyage; therefore advanced rigging systems were developed so that the vessel could be sailed home by an active sailing crew a fraction of the size aboard at departure. Rigging (from Anglo-Saxon wrigan or wringing, "to clothe" is on Sailboats and Sailing ships the collection of

Distinguishing features

English Galleon Model

The most distinguishing features of the galleon include the long beak, the lateen-rigged mizzenmasts, and the square gallery at the stern off of the captain's cabin. In larger galleons, a fourth mast was added, usually a lateen-rigged mizzen, called the bonaventure mizzen. The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts A lateen (from a la trina, meaning triangular or latin-rig is a triangular Sail set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts At sea, during the battle of the Spanish Armada, for example, English ships were distinguished by the red St George's Cross flying on all masts, except the Tudor rose was flown on the main-mizzen]] mast. The St George's Cross (or the Cross of St George is a centred red cross on a white background The Tudor rose (sometimes called the English Rose is a traditional heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty

With the evolution from the galleon to the ship of the line, the long straight beak-head became curved, shorter and more upright, jib sails were added, and eventually the lateen-rigged mizzenmast was replaced with square sails and a spanker sail. A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century to take part in the the naval tactic known as the Line of battle A jib (also spelled jibb) is a triangular Staysail set ahead of the foremost mast of a sailing boat A spanker is either of two kinds of Sail. On a Square rigged ship the spanker is a Gaff rigged fore-and-aft sail set from and aft As the practice of boarding was reduced, the fore and aft castles became shorter to improve maneuverability. [1][2]

The galleon continued to be used until the early 18th century, when better designed and purpose-built vessels such as the fluyt, brig and the ship of the line rendered it obsolete for trade and warfare respectively. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system A fluyt, fluit, or flute (flœt is a type of Sailing vessel originally designed as a dedicated cargo vessel. In nautical terms, a brig is a vessel with two square-rigged masts A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century to take part in the the naval tactic known as the Line of battle

The oldest English drawings

The oldest known scale drawings in England are in a manuscript called "Fragments of Ancient Shipwrightry" made in about 1586 by Mathew Baker, a master-shipwright. Mathew Baker (1530- 1615 was one of the most renowned Tudor Shipwrights and the first to put the practice of Shipbuilding down on paper This manuscript, held at the Pepysian Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge, provides an authentic reference for the size and shape of typical English galleons built during this period. Based on these plans, the Science Museum, London has built a 1:48 scale model ship that is an exemplar of galleons of this era. [3][4]

Notable galleons

References

  1. ^ MilitaryHistoryOnline.com - Sir Richard Grenville and the Last Fight of the Revenge, 1591
  2. ^ The Galleon
  3. ^ Science and Society Picture Library - Search
  4. ^ Fragments of Ancient English Shipwrightry

Literature

See also

External links

The Manila galleons or Manila-Acapulco galleons ( Galeones de Manila-Acapulco) were Spanish trading Ships that sailed once or twice A fluyt, fluit, or flute (flœt is a type of Sailing vessel originally designed as a dedicated cargo vessel.

Dictionary

galleon

-noun

  1. (nautical) A large, three masted, square rigged sailing ship with at least two decks.
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