SPANISH GALLEON 'EL GALEON ANDALUCIA' VISITS PLYMOUTH

Spanish 16th -18th century galleon replica (built in 2009) EL GALEON ANDALUCIA docked at the Barbican, Plymouth on 19th May 2024. #sailing #elgaleonandalucia #galleon ‪@WarshipTV‬

[@mydogsareneat]

Its interesting for my first time seeing a live footage of a spanish ship how narrow and high they built them. I suppose this would keep the cargo much drier :p
Shame about the weight of gold though

[@-sturmfalke-]

They did this because of the way warfare was conducted in the late middle ages and early renaissance. They first tried to reduce the number of enemies on their ship with cannons, which broke through the ships planks. Most were killed or wounded by splinters and not the cannonballs though. They also fired muskets at the defenders on the deck, one reason for the height of the ships, especially in the back, to be able to get a clear view on the enemy's deck. After this usually not too extensive weakening, a boarding was conducted and one-to-one combat ensued, similar to land battles, where the attackers tried to take control of the important parts of the ship, the steering, the anchor and the masts for example. Which is another reason for the high front and back, since thats where those things are located, they got defended like a castle, where their names derive from. That design came with the effect that these ships were very top-heavy, to the point they could actually fall over in bad weather, and also had to carry a lot of ballast to lower the center of mass, which made them slow and cumbersome to maneuver, and incapable of sailing shallow waters. They were intended as warships for the sea, and since ships carried very valuably stuff from america to europe which many people wanted to have, a warship was certainly a good choice. The galeon was designed just for that purpose, whilst also being able to take the long journy and carry a good amount of cargo. The cargo was actually located in the hold of the ship, below the waterline, where natural light doesn't reach so the space could not really be used for other tasks. The metals where probably stored at the lowest points to further lower the center of mass, and dryness of cargo were not an issue since barrels and other containers can be watertight.