galley

galley

galley.
1. The oared fighting ship of the Mediterranean dating from about 3000 bc, and lasting into the 18th century. Originally propelled by oars arranged on a single level, galleys were developed with oars arranged in banks, or different levels, known as biremes (two banks) and triremes (three banks). Galleys are mentioned in ancient writings with more banks of oars than three—quadreremes, quinqueremes, and in fact up to seventeen banks—but obviously this cannot refer to banks of oars, and some other method of classification must have been adopted, though no records exist of the methods today. In multibank galleys, up to the trireme, the length of oars differed according to the bank on which they were mounted, and it is generally thought that the length of oar in the upper bank was about 4.3 metres (14 ft), in the middle bank about 3.2 metres (10 ft 6 in.), and in the lower bank 2.3 metres (7 ft 6 in.). The number of rowers in each bank also varied, and in a typical Greek trireme with an overall length of about 39 metres (130 ft) and a beam of between 5 and 6 metres (18–19 ft), there would be 31 oars each side in the upper bank (known as thranites), and 27 oars each side in the middle (zygotes) and lower (thalamites) banks.

The weapon of the galley was the ram, and from the 16th century guns were mounted on a platform in the bows, but they could not be trained and had to fire only directly ahead.

The galley was basically an unstable vessel, suitable only for use in calm waters. They were capable of sailing before the wind and had one or two masts, depending on their length, carrying in their early days one square sail on each mast but lateen sails in later periods of their existence. Masts and sails were used only for passage-making and were always lowered and stowed away before action, to ensure that the great manoeuvrability given by the oars was always available in battle. A trireme, with all three banks of oars operating, was estimated to be capable of a speed of between 8 and 9 knots, but only for a short period depending on the stamina and strength of the rowers. The last naval action in which Mediterranean galleys took part was fought in 1717; in the Baltic, galleys were still employed as warships as late as the Russo-Swedish War of 1809. See also galliot; warfare at sea.

2. (a) An open rowing boat, with six or eight oars, used largely by customs officers in the 18th and 19th centuries, and in the British Navy by press gangs visiting ships afloat in search of recruits. (b) A warship's boat, originally clinker built but more recently of carvel construction, rowing six oars and usually reserved for the use of the captain. Two masts, carrying lateen or lug sails, could be stepped for sailing.

3. The ship's kitchen, sometimes also called the caboose in smaller merchant vessels.

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"galley." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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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.

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"galley." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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galley

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.

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"galley." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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galley

gal·ley / ˈgalē/ • n. (pl. -leys) 1. hist. a low, flat ship with one or more sails and up to three banks of oars, chiefly used for warfare, trade, and piracy. ∎  a long rowboat used as a ship's boat. 2. the kitchen in a ship or aircraft. 3. (also galley proof) a printer's proof in the form of long single-column strips, not in sheets or pages.

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"galley." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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galley

galley n. pl. -eys
1. a low, flat ship with one or more sails and up to three banks of oars, chiefly used for warfare, trade, and piracy.

2. a long rowboat used as a ship's boat.

3. the kitchen in a ship or aircraft.

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"galley." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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galley

galley low flat-built sea-going vessel XIII; large open rowing-boat XV; ship's kitchen XVIII. — OF. galie (mod. galée) — medL. galea, medGr. galaîa.

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T. F. HOAD. "galley." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "galley." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-galley.html

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galley

galleyAli, alley, Allie, Ally, bally, dally, dilly-dally, farfalle, galley, Halley, mallee, Mexicali, pally, Raleigh, rally, reveille, sally, tally, valley •Chablis • brambly •badly, Bradley, Hadlee, madly, sadly •scraggly •dangly, gangly •crackly • Shankly • Bramley •Manley, manly, Osmanli, Stanley •slatternly •Langley, tangly •amply • Ashley •Attlee, fatly, patly •aptly • shilly-shally •Bali, barley, Cali, Carly, Charlie, Dali, Diwali, finale, gnarly, Gurkhali, Kali, Kigali, Mali, Marley, marly, Pali, parley, snarly, Somali, Svengali, tamale •Barclay, Berkeley, clerkly, sparkly •Darnley • ghastly • Hartley • Barnsley •blackguardly

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"galley." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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