In the
age of sail
The Age of Sail is a period in European history that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid-15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the int ...
, arming or victualling a
war ship, or
war vessel had the meaning of equipping the ships with all the materials to navigate and the "
victuals" necessary for the crew to subsist. So, in addition to the rigging (masts, sails and ropes), the
victualler
A victualler (pronounced /ˈvɪt(ə)lə/) is traditionally a person who supplies food, beverages and other provisions for the crew of a vessel at sea.
There are a number of other more particular uses of the term, such as:
* The official supplier ...
(or
sutler
A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts. Sutler wa ...
) should supply water and provisions and, eventually,
cannon
A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...
s,
offensive weapon
An offensive weapon is a tool made, adapted or intended for inflicting physical injury upon another person.
Legality England and Wales
Under England and Wales' Prevention of Crime Act 1953, Section 1(1) states that carrying an offensive weapon o ...
s and
defensive weapons.
Victualling small boats without haste could be done without large facilities. On the contrary, the preparation of an army of war or military flocks, was usually carried out in arsenals and shipyards.
Arsenals and shipyards
In the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
there are many important and famous places where ships were built, armed and victualled, especially those intended to support military flocks. One only has to remember the Piraeus arsenal, the Carthage arsenal, the Tortosa shipyards, the Venice arsenal, the Barcelona shipyards, the Valencia shipyards, the Mallorca shipyards... and many others.
In all cases there were buildings, closed with a lock and key and with an armed guard, to store the necessary material: guns, pulleys, anchors, trees (sticks), antennas, sails, auxiliary boats, rudders, oars, bombards, armor, paveses, crossbows, pins, . . . In the case of the Barcelona shipyards, there are many documents (inventories in particular) that list the variety of items needed to arm a ship.
''Les dreçanes barcelonines: sos inventaris y restauració''. Francesc Carreras i Candi
/ref>
Documents
* 1283. Ramon Muntaner often talks about arming galleys and other ships.Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
to arm a galley
A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...
(“la galea de l'almoina”) with voluntary donations to defend the waters of Barcelona against pirates and corsairs.
References
{{Reflist
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