Galleys were warships used in Europe until the 18th century. A distinctive feature of such vessels is one row of oars and 2-3 masts with straight and triangular sails, acting as an auxiliary propulsion tool. A galley rower could be a civilian worker, a slave or a criminal. From this article you will learn what galleys are and what key parameters they had.
General characteristics
So, galleys are sailing and rowing warships, which were first used in the Mediterranean basin, and then spread throughout Europe. In a broader sense, this term can be used to refer to all sailing and rowing warships of a similar design, known since ancient times.
Such ships were actively used by the Phoenicians, Mycenaean and archaic Greeks, Minoans and many other peoples of those times. The word "galley" itself comes from the Greek word galea, which was the name of one of the types of Byzantine warship.
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According to the configuration of the hull, galleys were of the following types:
- Zenzeli. Classic narrow ships, characterized by good maneuverability and speed.
- Bastards. Wide ships with a round stern. They had less speed and maneuverability, but could accommodate muchmore cargo and weapons.
By the number of cans (movable seats) rowers were allocated:
- Fusts - 18-22.
- Galiots – 14-20.
- Brigantines – 8-12.
Running parameters
A Greco-Roman ship (galley) could accelerate to 9 knots. He developed high speed only in combat at short distances. These ships had a light hull, spartan crew conditions, and poor seaworthiness. During hikes, only the middle tier was usually used, since the slots in the lower tier were clogged so that water would not get on board through them. The galleys of the developed Middle Ages were more bulky, as they carried heavy artillery. During their construction, the speed of movement was put on the back burner.
Combat use
The main weapon used on rowing galleys is an underwater ram. Historians suggest that it was originally used as a water cutter or bow bulb to increase the ship's seaworthiness in stormy conditions. When heavier ships appeared, this element began to be strengthened and used to inflict damage on the enemy ship. In its classical form, an underwater galley ram is a flattened trident. He did not break through the board, but simply broke through it.
The hull plating of ships built according to ancient technologies was severely damaged from the impact of an underwater ram. When rams began to be cast in bronze and mounted on a massive hull keel beam, additionally reinforced with velvet (reinforced hull skin), their effectiveness increased significantly.
Having dispersed a light galley with a displacement of no more than 40 tons to maximum speed, it was possible to break through the side of a ship of equal size without any problems. So that when an enemy ship was hit, the bow of the galley did not go too far into its hull, proembolone was used on later ships. It was a small surface ram, which, as a rule, was made in the form of an animal's head. A photo of a galley with such a proembolone is probably familiar to all lovers of ancient ships.
There was another version of the attack on the galley: the ships approached closely and passed one by the other at a minimum distance. At this moment, the oars broke and the rowers were injured. If the ship managed to carry out a good sliding strike on the enemy ship, then leaks could form in the latter's hull. In addition, boarding battles were used in galley battles, for which soldiers and arrows were always on board.