Galley facts for kids

A Maltese galley from the 16th century

A galley is a special kind of ship that uses rowing to move through the water. These ships were very important for travel, trade, and fighting at sea for thousands of years. The first galleys were used in Ancient Egypt during the Old Kingdom, which was around 2700 to 2200 BCE.

What is a Galley?
- How Galleys Were Designed
  - Oars and Rowers
  - Sails on Galleys
The History of Galleys
Images for kids
See also

What is a Galley?

Galleys are long, narrow ships that are mainly powered by people rowing with oars. They also often had sails to help them move when the wind was good. This mix of oars and sails made galleys very flexible. They could move even when there was no wind, which was a big advantage in ancient and medieval times.

How Galleys Were Designed

Galleys were built to be fast and easy to steer. Their long, slim shape helped them cut through the water quickly. They had many oars, sometimes arranged in rows or levels. The people who rowed them were called oarsmen or rowers.

Oars and Rowers

The number of oars and rowers on a galley could vary a lot. Some smaller galleys might have only a few dozen rowers, while larger warships could have hundreds. The rowers often sat on benches, pulling long oars that went out through holes in the side of the ship.

Sails on Galleys

Even though rowing was the main way galleys moved, most also had one or more sails. These sails were usually square or lateen (triangular) shaped. They were used when the wind was blowing in the right direction, saving the rowers' energy. However, during battles, the sails were often taken down so the rowers could maneuver the ship quickly.

The History of Galleys

Galleys have a very long history, dating back thousands of years. They were used by many different civilizations around the Mediterranean Sea and beyond.

Ancient Galleys

The earliest galleys were simple boats used by the ancient Egyptians. Later, the Greeks and Romans developed more advanced galleys.

Greek and Roman Galleys

The trireme was a famous type of Greek and Roman galley. It had three rows of oars on each side, one above the other. This design allowed for many rowers in a relatively small space, making the ship very powerful. These ships were crucial in famous naval battles, like the Battle of Salamis.

Naval Warfare

In ancient times, galleys were the main warships. They would try to ram enemy ships with a strong metal point at the front called a ram. They also carried soldiers who would try to board enemy ships and fight hand-to-hand.

Medieval and Early Modern Galleys

Galleys continued to be important ships throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period.

Venetian Galleys

The Venetians were famous for their galleys, which they used for both trade and war. Their "great galleys" were large trading ships that could carry valuable goods across long distances. They also had "galleys subtle" which were faster and used for military purposes.

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire also relied heavily on galleys for their navy. They fought many battles against European powers using large fleets of galleys. One of the most famous galley battles was the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, where a large Christian fleet fought against the Ottoman navy.

Decline of Galleys

By the 17th and 18th centuries, galleys started to become less important. This was mainly because of improvements in sailing ship design and the development of more powerful cannons.

Rise of Sailing Ships

Sailing ships, like frigates and ships of the line, became much larger and could carry many more heavy cannons. They were also more efficient for long voyages across oceans because they didn't need hundreds of rowers. Galleys, with their many rowers, were expensive to operate and maintain.

Last Uses of Galleys

Even though they were becoming outdated, some navies still used galleys for a while, especially in the calm waters of the Mediterranean Sea or for coastal defense. They were still useful for quickly moving troops or supplies in certain situations. However, by the 19th century, galleys were mostly replaced by sailing ships and later by steam-powered vessels.

Images for kids

The English-built Charles Galley, a "galley frigate" built in the 1670s. It was not a "true" galley, but the term still became part of its name due to its oars.
Watercolor of United States ships at the Battle of Valcour Island, depicting several "row galleys"; similar function, but based on very different designs from Mediterranean galleys.
Assyrian warship, a bireme with pointed bow. 700 BC
Dionysus riding on a small galley-like craft in a painting from the Dionysus cup by Exekias, from c. 530 BC
A reconstruction of an ancient Greek galley squadron based on images of modern replica Olympias
A Roman naval bireme in a relief from the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia in Praeneste, (Palastrina) built c. 120 BC, (in the Museo Pio-Clementino).
Two compact liburnians used by the Romans in the campaigns against the Dacians in the early 2nd century AD; relief from Trajan's Column, c. 113 AD.
Venetian great galley with three sails taking pilgrims to Jerusalem (Conrad Grünenberg 1486/7).
A 3D model of the basic hull structure of a Venetian "galley of Flanders", a large trading vessel of the 15th century. The reconstruction by archaeologist Courtney Higgins is based on measurements given in contemporary ship treatises.
Illustration of a 15th-century trade galley from a manuscript by Michael of Rhodes (1401–1445) written in 1434.
Painting of the Battle of Haarlemmermeer of 1573 by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom. Note the use of small sailing vessels and galleys on both sides.
Ottoman galleys in battle with raiding boats in the Black Sea; Sloane 3584 manuscript, c. 1636
The Battle of Lepanto in 1571, naval engagement between allied Christian forces and the Ottoman Turks.
Dutch ships ramming Spanish galleys in the Battle of the Narrow Seas, October 1602.
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.
Illustration of an Egyptian rowed ship of c. 1250 BC. Due to a lack of a proper keel, the vessel has a truss, a thick cable along its length, to prevent it from losing its shape.
The stern of the modern trireme replica Olympias with twin side rudders
The Athlit ram, a preserved original warship ram from around 530–270 BC. It weighs nearly half a tonne and was probably fitted to a "five" or a "four".
14th-century painting of a light galley, from an icon now at the Byzantine and Christian Museum at Athens
A Venetian galea sottile from the late 15th century from Vittore Carpaccio's Return of the Ambassadors in the series Legend of Saint Ursula (1497–1498). Note the oars arranged in groups of three according to the alla sensile rowing method.
The ubiquitous bow fighting platform (rambade) of early modern galleys. This model is of a 1715 Swedish galley, somewhat smaller than the standard Mediterranean war galley, but still based on the same design.
Model of a Venetian three-banked galley rowed alla sensile, with three rowers sharing a bench but handling one oar each
An illustration from 1643 showing the layout of rowing benches as well and placement of rowers on a galley with 16 pairs of oars. It also shows a rower at the top of the stroke using the standing rowing technique typical of a scaloccio rowing.
The ram bow of the trireme Olympias, a modern full-scale reconstruction of a classical Greek trireme.
The Byzantine fleet repels the Rus' attack on Constantinople in 941. The Byzantine dromons are rolling over the Rus' vessels and smashing their oars with their spurs.
Byzantine ship attacking with Greek fire. Madrid Skylitzes manuscript, 11th century.
Battle between Venetian and Holy Roman fleets; detail of fresco by Spinello Aretino 1407–1408.
Contemporary depiction of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 that shows the strict formations of the opposing fleets. Fresco in the Gallery of Maps in Vatican Museum.
The Galley Subtle, one of the very few Mediterranean-style galleys employed by the English. This illustration is from the Anthony Roll (c. 1546) and was intended as its centerpiece.
Gouache of a late 17th-century French royal galley. The vessel is richly decorated with red and blue damask, brocade, and velvet for the stern canopy and flags, and carved gilded ornaments on railings, outrigger, and hull.
La Liberté, a full-scale replica of a 17th-century galley in Switzerland, though without any rowing benches
Front view. Contemporary model on display at Toulon naval museum.