The wreck of the Urca de Lima, a treasure galleon.
Galleons are large, multi-decked sailing ships first used by the Spanish as armed cargo vessels and later adopted by other European states during the age of sail.
History[]
Galleons developed from the carrack. Galleons had lower forecastles and longer hulls, giving them an unprecedented stability in the water, which made them faster. Galleons were largely under 500 tons although Malina galleons reached up to 2000. Galleons were more heavily armed than carracks, being purpose-built warships. They were also cheaper to build. Galleons were powered entirely by wind, carrying three masts.
Manila galleons were a variety of galleon that made one or two round trip voyages per year between the ports of Acapulco in Mexico and Manila in the Philippines.
Galleons were used as treasure ships, carrying gold, silver, gems, spices, sugar, tobacco, silk and any other exotic goods from the overseas territories of the Spanish Empire back to Spain. In the opposite direction, they carried oil, wine, textiles, books and tools.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, Woodes Rogers attacked a Manila galleon, Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación y Desengaño off the coast of Mexico. Right before surrendering, the galleon fired a shot at Rogers’ ship that hit them at the helm, scarring Rogers and killing his brother Thomas. Rogers then took revenge on the crew, executing them personally, one by one until only one man of the 74 men crew was alive. He then dropped the ship and its only surviving crew member off in Acapulco, presumably having relieved the ship of its cargo.
Captain Flint plans on capturing the cargo of the Urca de Lima, the largest Spanish treasure galleon in the Americas, with a total value of five million Spanish dollars. His plans go awry however, and it is eventually Jack Rackham who captures it.