Galleys
From about 1300, the galley was used in the Mediterranean and along the Spanish and the Atlantic coast of Africa. It ranged from 200 to 800 tons and was propelled by both sail and oars (useful in waters where winds were light). Larger galleys carried 220 slaves, chained 6 to the oar. They were lightly armed transports and used mainly for cargo and soldiers. From the early 1500s, galleys were used in the Indies, but were found to be too flimsy to navigate in bad weather (as compared to the calmer weather of the Mediterranean); in the 1550s, of a group of 10 galleys built for Caribbean service, all were wrecked within 5 years. By 1660, galleys were no longer built.
Caravels
The caravel was small, usually between 35 and 90 tons, although some of the later Portuguese ships grew to 180 tons. Its crew was roughly one man to the ton. As trade developed and larger volumes of cargo crossed the Atlantic, the caravel lost out to the heavier ship called “nao” as a transport, and to the faster “patache,” as a dispatch carrier. By 1575, they too, had all but disappeared.
Carracks
The carrack was the early freighter, used by the Portuguese and Dutch for long cargo and passenger hauls between Europe and the East Indies; voyages that took from 6 to 18 months. These were considered floating warehouse-fortress type ships, massive, bulky and with enormous cargo capacities of up to 1,500 tons, with passenger and crews of up to 1,000. The wooden castles at one end of the ship towered 50 feet out of the water. However, sailing a carrack was difficult. It lumbered along slowly, always needing a following wind, and it had little or no maneuverability. Between 1550 and 1650, they were replaced by naos.
Galleons
Naos and galleons were of identical construction, differing only in name and armament. The designation "galleon" was given to ships of this class used for fighting and in convoys. They were heavily armed and usually prohibited from carrying cargo except registry treasure. Naos were transports and freighters, carrying few guns. In armada convoy systems, several galleons escorted a flota of naos.
From 1550 to 1600, the typical galleon or nao ranged in size from 200 to 600 tons with occasional exceptions that reached 1,000 tons and more. In 1590, a 400-ton ship was 103 feet long, had a width of 32 feet and a 20-foot draft (the depth of water a ship draws when loaded with cargo). Its armament was 8 bronze and 4 iron cannon and 24 bronze or iron versos (smaller guns). A 600-ton ship had 2 main decks and 4 decks in the castle, carried about 600 sailors and passengers, was 135 feet long, 36 feet wide and carried 66 cannon as well as smaller guns on the bow. A 700-ton galleon was 140 feet by 38 feet with only a 17.5-foot draft. The galleon of this period varied from 700 to 2,000 tons, and carried up to 90 bronze cannon on 3 levels. Ships escorting armadas were called Capitanas and Almirantas and were 165 feet long and 46 feet wide, with mainmasts rising 130 feet.
Galleons and naos continued in service until well past 1750, when frigates and other ships of better design replaced them.
The galleoncete was a scout and light freighter used from 1550 to 1650; varied from 100 to 200 tons.
The felipot was another small dual-purpose ship varying from 120 to 300 tons. It carried up to 12 cannon and other smaller guns for use against pirates. Named after King Philip, it was used in the early 1600s.
The urca was a freighter, fairly similar to a nao, popular from 1575 to 1700. It varied in capacity from 80 to 800 tons.
Frigates came into being in 1580 and in action with all European fleets by 1640. This popular class of ship was fast and maneuverable with sweeping main decks, which rose slightly at the poop (an enclosed superstructure at the stern, or rear of a ship, also called the castle). They varied from 900 to 1,700 tons, ranged from 125 feet in length by 26 feet wide and carried up to 72 cannon. From 1700 onward, they were used more frequently to carry treasure shipments. Some ships carried cargoes of up to 10 million pesos (319 metric tons of gold and silver).
The ship of the line or navio were the 17th & 18th century battleships. Its prototype was the 1,860-ton Royal Sovereign, launched in England in 1637. By 1700 these ships passed the 2,000-ton stage and carried as many as 112 cannon on 3 or 4 levels. The average navio ran between 1,200 and 1,800 tons. Often used to carry treasure, Spain discontinued construction in 1797 when her naval power was at its peak.
The packet boat or patache was the scout and general-utility ship used from 1500 to 1770. It gradually grew in size from 50 to 300 tons. At times, these ships carried as much as 2 million pesos (64 metric tons).
The piroque was developed by Spain in 1670 to fight pirates. Long, narrow and fast, it was propelled both by sail and oars, and had superior maneuverability. A typical 90-foot piroque was only 18 feet wide and carried a few cannon.
The corvette came into use about 1800 as a light warship and scout. Built on the lines of the frigate, but much smaller, it had up to 20 cannon and sometimes carried treasure.