Galleons

Galleons were huge sailing ships that were built from the mid 1500s onwards. Galleons had tall structures called castles at either end. The front castle was called the forecastle or fo'c'sle (said folk-sel). The rear castle was called the stern castle and it housed elaborate living quarters for the officers. The crew lived in crowded rows below deck. The stern of the boat was often ornately carved painted in gold and bright colors. A galleon had three tall masts - the foremast, the mainmast and mizzenmast at the rear. Galleons were both warships and trading boats and carried huge numbers of cannon and troops. In the 1500s, huge Spanish galleons crossed the Atlantic carrying gold from the Americas to Spain.