Note 6 — INTRODUCTION THE NAVY BEFORE 1509

The mention of the word galley in the records is, taken by itself, often misleading. Frequently it meant a small, but fully rigged, sailing vessel, supplied with sweeps for occasional use. Sometimes it appears to have been applied to a sailing ship of particular build, and on one occasion the Mary Rose, a ‘capital ship’ of Henry VIII, is called ‘the great galley,’ showing how loosely the word was used.