Tarquinnian War Galley

A real beauty ain't she? Elegant, fast and powerful. And the Hegemony has over 200 of those ladies at the ready, should anyone be bold enough to attack our coasts.

— Lucius P. Garin to Adeon Vargan

While predominately land powers, the Tarquinnian Hegemonies have always had to invest large amounts of resources into their naval forces. Be it to project power across the world's oceans, protect their trade or secure the thousands of kilometres of coastline, the Imperial Navy has a long history and tradition.
The war galley is the Hegemony's heavy workhorse. A jack-of-all-trades vessel, designed to deal with most threats the realm faces. It has served as the main heavy ship of Vardanian fleets for over 1200 years and while more modern galleys and carracks have outclassed it in terms of speed and power, the Tarquinnian War Galley remains a core component of hegemonial naval power.

Construction

Sleek and powerful the War Galley is one of the largest ships in the fleet. Over 40 meters in length, with 108 oars in total. On the main deck, there are two masts of 17 and 12 meters height respectively.
A rather narrow ship at about 3 meters width it cuts through the waves at an average speed of about 3 knots when pushed forward by the rows and up to 10 knots when sailing.
The main body consists of three decks. On the two lower ones, the rowers take up the midsection, while both the bow and stern host storage rooms. At both ends, elevated platforms tower over the third and main deck.

Armaments

Although it is outclassed by more modern warships, one would be foolish to underestimate the galley. Its firepower is impressive. Forty ballistae of varying size dot the main deck. Capable of firing their projectiles at targets over one kilometre away, they are arranged in two lines of 17 along with the ships main body. Two are positioned under the bow platform, facing forward, while the remaining four are fixed on the rear platform, able to fire in 180° degree angles.
The front platform serves as a position for archers as well as marines should the ship enter into close combat. A War Galley fields a standard complement of 150 marines. In total there are 500 men serving on the ships, 250 of which are roars and 100 sailors.

Use

Like most galleys, the heavy variant is used to protect the coastal waters of the realm. It is less effective in the wide-open waters of the Divide, where the High Seas Fleet consisting of carracks and dhomares operates. The galleys patrol the coasts, protect the great harbour cities as well as the Shield Isles at the mouth of the river Amarin.
In Vardanians western regions, where the coast is flat and the rivers don't enter the ocean in great waterfalls, they patrol the great rivers. During engagements they present the main bulk of the Tarquinnian battleline, sailing broadside to the enemy to demolish them in a hail of projectiles. In other cases they are used in close combat roles, holding the opponent at bay while faster galleys and carracks move around and attack from behind.

Class

Heavy Warship

Manufacturer

Manufacturum Navalis

Owning Organization

Tarquinnian Imperial Navy

Beam

3.75 m

Length

40.5 m

Height

19.5 m

Weight

80 tons

Speed

3 knots (rowing) / 10 knots (sailing)

Complement / Crew

between 500 and 550

The Battle of Gaera 2996 DA
The largest galley battle ever recorded in history. Emperor Gerion II.'s attempt at solidifying control of Tyanis Wound had threatened the interests of various Anidaran powers, chief among them the cities of the Gold Coast. At first, they only supported the various pirates and marauders Gerion's fleet was fighting. By 2995 DA, however, they had entered into an open state of war against the Fourth Tarquinnian Hegemony.
In early spring of the next year, the Imperial Fleet met the combined Anidaran fleets in battle. Over 800 ships took part, 600 of which were galleys. The heavy defeat delt to Gerion turned what had been a won war into a draining struggle of over 16 years.