The first warships recorded so far in history were the Galleys. These boats went from civilian vessels to military vessels. There were three types of galleys that were used as the first warships. They were called Penteconter, Brieme, and Trieme. Here is a small overview on each of these ships!
Penteconter
So a penteconter was rowed by fifty oarsmen and there were twenty-five on each side of the ship. The oarsmen’s job was to row. Penteconter is believed to be the first ship to have a ram. These ships were fast, lean, long, and sharp-keeled ships. This kind of ship is referenced as an unfenced vessel because it doesn’t have a full deck.
Brieme
Brieme came after penteconter, and was improved from the penteconter. The penteconter had one set of oars on each side and the brieme had two sets of oars on each side. A brieme was about eighty feet long, with the maximum beam width around ten feet.
Trieme
The trieme came after the penteconter and brieme. It had three rows of oars and the largest trieme could have up to 170 oars. Therefore, the trieme was packed with oarsmen for maximum rowing power. However, the crew had to go to shore everyday because there was no room to eat or sleep on board.
During the Roman Empire and throughout the Bytanzine Empire, galleys remained the key warships. These ships did evolve over time; more oars were added to drive much larger galleys. What kinds of ships would you like me to post about? There are so many to write about! I find naval history very intriguing. Let me know in the comments section!
Image credits- CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64833352
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9584523
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=250720
Research done by the book of “Battle of Sea 3,000 Years of Naval Warfare” by R.G. Grant
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