Man of war - Definition and Overview

A man of war (also man-of-war, man-o'-war or simply man) is an armed naval vessel. The term often refers particularly to ships propelled primarily by sails and armed with cannon, as opposed to a galley, propelled primarily by oars. The man of war was developed in the Mediterranean in the 15th century from earlier roundships with the addition of a second mast to form the carrack. The 16th century saw the carrack evolve into the galleon and then the ship of the line.

A first-rate man of war, such as the HMS Victory was armed with 100 or more guns (as many as 120). The 90-gun HMS Coronation was a second-rate man of war. A seventy-four, a common ship carrying 74 guns, was a third-rate man of war. A sixth-rate man of war carried only 20 guns. First and second-rate men of war had three gun decks. It took over 2,000 oak and elm trees to build a second-rate man of war.

See also

• The Portuguese man o' war is a stinging hydrozoan related to the jellyfish.
• Man O' War was a racehorse.
• Man O'War Cay is an island in the Bahamas, a part of the Abacos near Marsh Harbour, famous for boat-building.
• Man o' war bird is another name for the Magnificent Frigatebird.
• Manowar is a heavy metal band.

External links

• Nautical References (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/bb/bb_naut.html)
• Project Gutenberg: The World of Waters (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/0/9/9/10997/10997-h/10997-h.htm)
• Dutch Wars (http://members.rogers.com/radfordr/1675d.html)