The ships of war differed in the extreme from ships of commerce, quite unlike the later European age of sale. The two types of warships of this period were the pentekonter with 24 oars to a side, and the bireme with two banks of oarsman for twice the pulling power. Though rigged like a Viking ship with a single square sail, these were less seaworthy, built more like a racing shell, and designed around the proposition of ramming another ship. The entire thing was simply a propulsion system for a ram. Contrary to popular opinion these ships wallowed rather than sank after being rammed, unless somehow they were broken in half.

These types of ships could easily overtake the merchant vessels of the day, and could be expected to enforce tariffs, and also emerge from a harbor to inspect the crew and cargo of a ship seeking entry to a port.

For those interested in the ancient Greek merchant ship go to

and check their entry for ‘ancient Greek merchant ship.’

It would be best to imagine a short deep-drafted high-walled ship with single square-rigged mast and a modest crew. This ship is far more seaworthy than the galley, though may deploy between 4 and 22 large oars for maneuvering around in port. This is the type of ship that traveling athletes, colonists and exiled politicians would be found aboard, the type of ship that the biblical prophet Jonah boarded when he attempted to flee from God to the Atlantic.

Pentekonters would escort such ships in stages to prevent pirate action. Skirting the coast could be hazardous at night and in rough weather in such deep-drafted vessels. Likewise, any attempt to keep out of sight of land to avoid the attention of the less seaworthy pirates would be hazardous due to the lack of navigational equipment. A rammed trade ship would sink, so any vessel taken in deep water must be boarded, which would be easier said than done considering how high up the merchant sat compared to the galley.