galley

galley long, narrow vessel widely used in ancient and medieval times, propelled principally by oars but also fitted with sails. The earliest type was sometimes 150 ft (46 m) long with 50 oars. Rowers were slaves, prisoners of war, or (later) convicts; they were usually chained to benches set along the sides, the center of the vessel being used for cargo. Galleys were decked at the bow and stern but were otherwise open. The typical galley was the trireme, with three banks of oars; smaller and more manageable galleys (biremes) had two banks. These vessels became very large, some reputedly having as many as 40 banks of oars, but smaller vessels were again common by the 1st cent. BC When galleys were employed in war, the sides were so designed that they could be raised to afford protection for the rowers. The Romans used hooks to fasten onto enemy vessels and carried bridges for boarding. Galleys were used in the Mediterranean by the French and Venetians until the 17th cent. In modern usage the galley is the kitchen of a ship.

galley A warship used principally in the Mediterranean from the 2nd millennium BC. The galley's major weapon was originally a ram on the water-line, used to hole enemy ships or to smash their oars. It was propelled by oars in battle, and carried sails for use in favourable winds. The success of the galley as a warship was due to its great speed and manoeuvrability. This type of galley reached its furthest development in ancient Greece. The best-known type of Greek galley was the TRIREME, with three banks (rows) of oars; a famous trireme battle took place between the Greek and Persian fleets at SALAMIS in 480 BC. The Viking LONGSHIP was a small but durable type of galley. Galleys continued to be of military importance until the 16th century; LEPANTO (1571) was the last great naval battle involving large numbers of galleys. Galleys continued to be used as convict ships until the 18th century.