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  Galleons

Galleons were sailing ships employed by European navies during the 16th to early 18th centuries for both trade and warfare. Originally designed as armed merchant ships, galleons were adapted for battle by the English in the 1570s. The English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 included many galleons.

A galleon’s foremast held deep, square sails, as did the mainmast behind it. From one or two smaller masts in the rear hung triangular lateen sails.

Spain used galleons to shuttle New World treasures—including gold and silver—from the Pacific port of Acapulco, Mexico, to Manila, the city in the Philippines that served as the hub of Euro-Asian trade. The so-called Manila galleons returned to Acapulco bearing spices, silk, ceramics, and other Asian treasures. On each 9,000-mile (14,480 kilometers) leg of the trans-Pacific journey, galleon crews fought storms and watched for pirates. (Although galleons were among the fastest ships of their day, the treasure-laden vessels were often outmaneuvered by pirates.) Upon arrival in Mexico, goods were carried overland from Acapulco to Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico. From there transatlantic galleons delivered Asian and New World goods to Europe.