Xebecs

So, I’m still looking at naval warfare in the middle ages and I’ve reached the xebec. The xebec ship type is yet another spin off from the classical galley which evolved, even more so than the galleass, to counter the advantages of main stream European ship development. Xebecs are characterized by their low displacement and shallow draft through having so narrow a hull, and upper structures which tend to extend out, fore and aft to give the xebec the space needed to support its two or three masts. Some xebecs wore lateen sails whilst others were ship rigged, but they were never classed as anything above a small frigate (mounting less than 40 guns and having a displacement of under 200 tonnes). They were extremely agile and thus favoured by the Barbary pirates and other rapacious privateers mostly in the inner sea’s like the Mediterranean, Black and possibly even the Baltic. Crew’s varied, but on a large man of war they could reach as many as 300+. Some depictions of xebecs show oars, as does the image above, but many others, such as on this diagram, do not and I suppose that the earlier, smaller xebecs were manned by permanent rowers where as the later, larger xebecs, being based on European ships, did likely retain their oars, but only in case they were needed, choosing to rely on their sophisticated sails instead.

Most sources describe the xebec as a pirate ship but this is not structly true. Xebecs were used by traders as well as by the major maritime powers. In 1788 the Ottoman Turks, sailing twenty one xebecs in their fleet, engaged and were defeated by the Russian Black Sea Fleet at the Battle of Fidonisi, also known as the Battle of Ochakov if you are Russian. (Another interesting detail of the Battle of Fidonisi is that the Turks had five 'second rate' ships, all over 80 guns, as well as twelve other ships of the line)

Xebec
Xebec Model
Tall ship models: Xebec