Light Galley

Light Galley
Belongs to	All factions
Crew	19
Guns	4 (all bow chasers)
Firepower	0
Range	400
Accuracy	50
Reloading skill	30
Hull strength	578
Speed	12
Maneuverability	High
Produced from	Any port in the Mediterranean or Baltic sea
Cost	380
Upkeep	90

The Light Galley is a type of ship in Empire: Total War.

Description

Light galleys have sails and oars, and light cannons mounted on platforms above the rower's benches.

In restricted waters galleys are useful craft, although in any kind of heavy sea they can be dangerous to manage: it would be a brave or foolish captain who risked his galley in the North Sea or Atlantic. Although they do not carry as many guns as a modern sailing vessel, the ability to move independently of the wind is very useful.

The fighting crew of a galley is a relatively small part of the full crew, because the rowers are often convicts or pressed men and aboard only as strong backs, not as stout hearts. Indeed, in some navies the rowers are often more of a threat to the crew than the enemy! The number of men carried also limits the strategic range of a galley: they simply cannot carry enough food and water to sustain the crew for longer than a few days.

Historically, galleys did good service in sheltered waters like the Mediterranean and the Baltic, and the Ottomans, Russians and Swedes all used them in anger. They were also favoured by the Barbary Coast pirates, who could be guaranteed a good supply of slave rowers from captured European merchantmen.

General Information

At first glance, light galleys might seem to be useless ships and a pointless endeavor, given their small number of guns and crew. However, the few cannon light galleys have are some of the hardest hitting in the game. Only a few shots are needed to sink the larger ships. On the other hand, light galleys are very fragile, and equally vulnerable to Round Shot, Grape Shot, and Chain Shot. Light galleys are the smallest ships in the game by a considerable margin, which makes them good at avoiding indirect fire from rocket ships and bomb ketches. Galleys cannot be ordered to broadside.

Unlike most other ships, Light Galleys are partially powered by oars, making them retain some maneuverability even when sailing against the wind or when dismasted. They have the best speed in calm waters; choppy waters tend to slow them down drastically, with or without sails.