Ships
Table of Contents
Ship types
- Barge (no high seas, can travel all rivers, slow, cheap)
- Ship of the Line (expensive war ship)
- Frigate (fast war ship for protecting trade)
- Privateer (fast ship for attacking trade)
- Caravel (fast small exploration ship, can enter large rivers)
- Barque (medium speed medium size trade ship)
- Galleon (medium speed big transport ship)
Historical Context
A typical ship in an expedition would carry just short of 100 people including the crew. An expedition for a colony could be very small, for example Christopher Columbus first voyage had about 300 people in total, his second about 1500 people on 17 ships. The founding of Roanoke expedition in 1585 had about 600 people, of which a good 100 stayed there, before the colony failed and many went back a year later.
Caravel
A fast exploration ship, with not much storage space. A typical caravel could transport 20-30 people or up to 100 tons of goods.