A galleon was a large sailing ship that was primarily used by European nations. These ships had decks, which were built from oak, pine, and various types of woods. Lowering the forecastle and elongation of the hull gave the ship great stability in the violent oceans. The better stability and wind resistance of these ships led to faster ships that were easy to operate. The galleon was longer, lower, and narrower than older models of ships. It had a square tuck instead of a round tuck. Before the galleons, the caravel and carrack were the main modes of transportation across water. Galleons were warships that were much stronger than carracks, and were entirely powered by sail and carried on three to five masts. They were used in both military and trade scenarios, and were versatile and usually had a long life span. The most distinguishing features of the galleon include the long beak, the square gallery at the stern off of the captain's cabin, and the lateen-rigged mizzenmasts. The picture below is of a Spanish galleon.

An English man named John Hawkins later evolved the Spanish galleon to be quicker and more "race built". These ships were quick, but in the confrontation between Spain and England, the Spanish galleons proved more durable. The picture below is one of an English galleon model.



Spain used their galleons in war, as well as when they conquered the Americas, established colonies, and brought items and materials to and from the New World. Thus, they proved to be very useful for Spain in many different ways.