Man of war
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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.
- In the book Perdido Street Station by China Mieville, men-o-war are gigantic flying jellyfish capable of supporting riders.
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)