Galleon

Galleon
Belongs to	Spain, New Spain, Portugal, Pirates, Mexico, Gran Colombia
Crew	170
Guns	60 (27 on each side, 4 bow chasers, 2 stern chasers)
Firepower	1344
Range	400
Accuracy	40
Reloading skill	40
Hull strength	4683
Speed	14
Maneuverability	Low
Tech requirement	None
Cost	1710
Upkeep	300

A Galleon is a ship type in Empire: Total War.

Description

A galleon is a square rigged warship, capable of long ocean voyages and of carrying some cargo. Demi-culverins are the usual armament carried.

A galleon is a strong, seaworthy vessel, capable of surviving an Atlantic crossing in the worst of weathers. This is a tribute to their builder’s methods and techniques, learned over the decades of making caravels and carracks. The lines of a galleon show its medieval heritage, as the type is similar to the earlier ships, but without their high forecastle shape. The galleon retains a high stern castle, but its main fighting power is on the gun deck. This change meant that galleons are not fighting platforms for (land) troops, but fight with broadside batteries of demi-culverin cannons. In this respect, it is a forerunner to the later square-rigged rated ships of the line. The guns and strength of construction make them dangerous targets, as numerous English pirates and privateers discovered to their cost.

A galleon can also carry a substantial cargo. The Spanish galleon fleets carrying bullion from the New World, for example, made a tempting target because they were such good cargo vessels. The wealth they imported was almost beyond calculation. The gold and silver, however, damaged the Spain by flooding the country with “cheap” money, and there was no understanding of economics to help stop the problem.

General Information

Galleons are a variety of trading ship used by Spain, Portugal, New Spain, the Pirates, Mexico, and Gran Colombia. Historically, Galleons were used as the principal European warships from their invention in the early 16h century until the advent of the Ship of the Line in the mid 17th century. As a result, it should come as no surprise that galleons are powerful vessels in the early phases of the game, capable of fending off attack from pirates and privateers; in fact, they are some of the strongest ships in the sea in the early game in terms of hull strength and firepower and are not easily surpassed until the mid to late game in this regard. Their chasers (guns located at the prow) are very hard hitters and are a serious deterrent from attacking them frontally, and their broadsides can quickly wreck anything short of a Fourth Rate. They are however, somewhat sluggish and unseaworthy. Probably their largest weakness is their inferior range, which means that careful captains of lighter ships can easily kite them.

As trading ships, galleons bring in the same income as Indiamen, Fluyts and Dhows; however, they are an inferior choice for generating revenue due to their higher upkeep costs. They are most useful for those factions that are unable or unwilling to field large navies to protect their trade routes. Galleons are particularly useful in the early game for fending off raiders, as their powerful cannons make quick work of anything lighter than a Fifth Rate. However, galleons are less desirable for factions who can harbor conventional navies to protect their trading lanes due to their higher upkeep cost than indiamen.