Pietro Pecco's video: Galley XVII Century Galata Sea Museum Genoa Liguria Italy Europe

Genoese galley at anchor in Genoa, in a "short stop" position (ready to leave at short notice). Note the raised oars, not because it was preparing to row but because in that particular "set-up" there was no place to be able to shelter them along the ship and not even in a "transverse" position so they were kept overboard, secured to the rowing benches. A tarpaulin covers the whole ship, protecting the crew from sun, rain, cold (as appropriate). The rowers rest on the rowing benches, sleeping as best they can. Galley is a wide type of warships and trading ships, used in the Mediterranean Sea for over three thousand years, driven by the strength of the oars and sometimes by the wind, thanks also to the presence of masts and sails: its decline began to depart from the seventeenth century, when it was progressively supplanted by sailing ships, finally becoming extinct at the end of the eighteenth century. The light and sharp structure, and the rowing propulsion made it fast and maneuverable in all conditions; the square or latin sails made it possible to exploit the wind when favorable. The light and sharp structure, however, was a handicap as it did not allow to mount cannons in battery (such as galleons and other sail-propelled ships of the time) reducing the armament to a single small "piece" in the bow and some "harmless" pusher. It was therefore a ship used only for ramming and boarding but which risked being sunk by a well-directed "broadside". In forty meters in length it could "accommodate" 200 rowers and as many armed soldiers. It was therefore not a ship suitable for long voyages without intermediate stops, but for coastal navigation and racing warfare.