Real (galley)
The Real was the flagship of Don Juan de Austria built in the Drassanes Reials de Barcelona in the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571, the greatest galley battle in world history, in which the fleet of the united Christian Mediterranean powers, the so-called Holy League , defeated an Ottoman fleet. The Real and the galley Sultana , the flagship of the Turkish Commander-in-Chief Ali Pasha , were involved in direct board-to-board combat soon after the battle began. Ali Pasha, hit by musket balls, fell wounded on the deck and was beheaded by a Spanish mercenary. His head was displayed on a spit, which was not conducive to the morale of the Ottoman fighters. The Real captured the great flag of the caliphs and became the symbol of the victory of Lepanto.
On the occasion of the four hundredth anniversary of the battle in 1971, the Real was faithfully reproduced in the Museu Marítim in Barcelona and has been exhibited there ever since. The ship was 60 m long and 6.2 m wide, had a draft of 2.1 m and two masts, and weighed 237 tons when empty. It was moved by 290 rowers and had about 400 sailors and soldiers on board at the Battle of Lepanto. During the battle, 50 men were posted on the upper platform of the forecastle deck, 50 on the midship ramp, 50 on each side of the bow, 50 on the boat platform, 50 on the hearth platform, 50 on the stern sides, and another 50 on the stern platform. To keep the huge ship in order and to help maneuver it, it was pushed by two other galleys. (This made it possible on the Real to cover a number of row benches in the foredeck with planks on which fighting soldiers were posted.) The superstructure was splendidly decorated and the whole ship was decorated in the Spanish colors of red and gold.
Rear view of the replica
Detailed view from the rear of the replica
Front view
figurehead
annotation
“La Real” was usually the name of the flagship of a Spanish fleet of the time, and not necessarily the actual name of the ship. The ship of the deputy commander-in-chief was known as the "Almirante". Other ships with command functions were the "Patrona / Padrona" and the "Lanerna".
literature
- Currey, E. Hamilton, Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean , John Murrey, 1910
- Bicheno, Hugh, Crescent and Cross: The Battle of Lepanto 1571 , Phoenix, 2003, ISBN 1-84212-753-5
