Ships and Shipbuilding

The main difference among various types of Renaissance ships concerned the way they were powered—by oars or by sails. The most famous oared ship, the galley, was a long vessel with oarsmen on both sides of the hull. These ships carried passengers and goods, particularly luxury items, and also found service in warfare. Galleys used oars when entering or leaving port, during combat, or whenever they needed a burst of speed. The sails were hoisted for long-distance cruising. Though fast, galleys had a limited capacity. For transporting larger cargoes, people relied on sailing ships.

During the Middle Ages the sailing ships of northern Europe differed in style from those of the Mediterranean. The early northern ships featured a rudder in the rear and a single square sail. Southern ships adopted the triangular lateen sails of Muslim vessels. In the 1400s the two traditions merged to produce the model followed by all later oceangoing vessels. The new ship had a rear rudder, two masts with square sails and a third mast in the rear of the vessel with a lateen sail. It was balanced and maneuverable in a variety of conditions. The largest of these vessels were known as carracks (or some variation of that name). The ships that carried Columbus on his first voyage across the Atlantic were smaller versions called nao, nef, or nau.

Carracks and similar multi-masted ships had a variety of functions. Large vessels might be used for trade and transportation, warfare, fishing, or whaling. Smaller craft found service in coastal trade, small-scale fishing, exploration, and piracy. Often the same ship had several roles during its career. Shipbuilders developed numerous variations on the carrack with different numbers of masts or types of sails. Each seafaring country had its own fleet of sailing ships, similar to but not exactly the same as that of its neighbor.

The galleons, sailing ships used widely in the late 1500s and early 1600s, appeared in numerous versions but shared certain common features. Marked by a crescent profile, galleons generally had three or four masts, a low deck in front called the forecastle, and two full decks above the waterline on which to mount artillery. The ship's hull was sturdy enough to withstand rough seas and the hazards of combat. The ocean-going galleons were the most advanced vessels of the age, combining technology from fields such as forestry and metallurgy (the science of metals).