Genoese galley

Università di Genova-Facoltà di Ingegneria Genova - Provenienza

ambito italiano

Arsenale della Repubblica

4520

Unità di misura: m; Altezza: 0.7; Larghezza: 0.85; Lunghezza: 4.7

legno verniciato

The Republic of Genoa armed several galleys used for patrolling the coast until the early 1800s, when this type of ship had become obsolete, replaced by more efficient and armed vessels. The model reproduces one of these ‘late’ galleys. While the layout of the rowing benches – the ‘telaro’ – remains essentially unchanged, as do the stern and the bow spur, the stern has changed. The typical wheel is replaced by a straight rudder, which has lost its characteristic ‘scimitar’ shape in favour of a straight one, common to pinches and brigantines. The classic superstructure of the deck, known as the carriage, consisting of arched ribs covered with a canvas that could be lowered to the waterline, becomes integral with the hull, gaining solidity and the possibility of accommodating some artillery pieces, as demonstrated by the relative hatches: an extreme attempt to make a ship on the decline competitive. Large-scale ‘prototype’ model, made by the craftsmen of the Arsenale or perhaps by the Jesuit Fathers' carpentry school.