#war galley

[ltwilliammowett]

A War Galley

The depicted Spanish galley of the Holy League fleet is of the type used at the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, the last large-scale naval battle fought between the rowed warships. (Illustration by Tony Bryan, from Renaissance War Galley, 1470–1590, by Angus Konstam (Osprey Publishing, Bloomsbury Press Publishing))

[pinturasdeguerra]

260 aC Primera guerra púnica - galera romana con corvus ataca nave Cartago - Vicente Segrelles

[demi-lancer]

Galleass (super war galley)

source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/818810775972446847/

[ltwilliammowett]

A Greek carnelian scaraboid (type of seal amulet) with Protesilaos, Classical period, circa 4th century BC. 7/8 in (2.2 cm) long

[ltwilliammowett]

The depicted Spanish galley of the Holy League fleet is of the type used at the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, the last large-scale naval battle fought between the rowed warships. Illustration by Tony Bryan, from Renaissance War Galley, 1470–1590, by Angus Konstam

[ltwilliammowett]

Travel Journal of Bedrich de Donin.

He was a Bohemian nobleman, traveller and writer who lived from 1574- 1634. His travel journal is beautifully illustrated, including this italian (possibly a venetian) war galley and a lighthouse, photo by Yelkrokoyade 2009

[ltwilliammowett]

A French war galley at Marseilles, by Antoine Roux, 1816

[ltwilliammowett]

War Galleys of the 17th and 18th centruy

War galleys of the 17th and 18th century were, thanks to centuries of development and research, war ships even if one might think that their time was already over at this time.

La Réale de France, 1694 (x)

The great nations of the time, which had a front in the Mediterranean, but also, and more surprisingly for the general public, in the Baltic and Lake Geneva, all had galleys in the 18th century. We can mention Spain, Italy (the city states and the Italian kingdom), France, the Ottoman Empire, the Moors and Barbary Pirates, the Russians (in the Black Sea as in the Baltic), the Swedes, Switzerland. In other words, everywhere they had to act close to the coast. In waters like the English Channel or the Open Sea, these ships were helpless.

The Russian Capped Lead Galley, 1715 (x)

Design

Since the great battle of Lepanto, the design of the galley had not changed much. A standard galley (galere ordinaire) was about 50 metres long and had a depth of 1.5 metres. There were two masts, the main mast and the foremast, and the sails were lateen sails. She had 25-26 pairs of oars with five men per oar (about 250 rowers), 50-100 sailors and 50-100 soldiers, so about 500 men in total. 

Model of a Galley, Amsterdam, c. 1700 - c. 1750 (x)  

The large galley (galere extraordinaire), on the other hand, was up to 60 m long, with a draught of 1.7 m. Its masts were extended by a mizzenmast. It had 30 pairs of oars and up to seven rowers per oar (about 420 rowers), up to 100 sailors and 100 soldiers. So about 620 men. The powder room was under the oarsmen's benches. Directly in the centre of this gangway was the galley. It was completely open and equipped only with a stove.

Plan view of a galley and sidecut of a galley : Illustration taken from “Galley Slave”, published by Folio Society, London, 1957. Illustrations from Musee de la Marine and the Bibliotheque Nationale, France.

Normally, on the Mediterranean galleys of the 16th and 17th centuries, there was also a small platform to port and starboard (instead of a rowing bench), where the boot and the stoven were located. Sea soldiers could also be placed here for close combat. In the bow was the forecastle deck where the artillery was aligned in the direction of travel and used to hunt down their opponents. The front end of a galley was formed by the extended prow, with a ram and the rambade, a platform that was intended to enable the boarding of enemy ships and at the same time served as a privy for sailors and soldiers.

A painting of the Battle of Grengam in 1720 by Ferdinand Perrot (1808–41) showing a large Russian galley engaging Swedish frigates at close range. Note the crowded fighting platform (rambade) in the bow. (x)

Armament

Galleys were not primarily intended for long-range combat, but were used to lure their opponents into shallow water and then board them. Therefore, their firepower was not that great. The armament consisted of a heavy 24- or 36-pounder gun in the bow, flanked by two to four 4- to 12-pounders. Rows of light swivel guns were often mounted on the railings along the entire length of the galley for close defence.

However, since the galleys had an immense consumption of men and were only used for coastal operations, they became more and more uninteresting from the middle of the 18th century and were taken out as warships. However, they were still used as representative ships for special occasions.