Empire Wargalley

"Behind the Wolfships waited the smaller Wargalleys, arranged in hunting pack formation to catch any stray Bretonnians that should escape his net of steel. Koenig placed great stead in the small ramships, respecting their strength, maneuverability and firepower, not to mention the renowned courage of the Wargalley crews. He knew that the Wargalley squadrons would do their duty, their prime targets the smaller Bretonnian vessels. He also knew that the gallant Wargalley captains would not hesitate to attack a vessel many times the size of their ships, for their strength lay in fighting as a squadron, not as a single warship."

- Accounts of Lord Koenig, Imperial Admiral

Empire Wargalleys are swift-moving, lightly-armed ramships used by the Imperial Navy for patrolling the River Reik and the Empire's northern coastlines. Their crews are generally wild, free spirited adventurers ever ready to risk it all in a furious attack against the odds. Balanced against the crews' love of battle and pillage is their commanders' need to preserve their ships. Wargalley captains and officers are picked from experienced veterans who knows when to hold their ship back out of range of the enemy guns and when to order their vessels forward into the fray.

Like their larger Wolfship brethrens, Wargalleys are usually manned by a crew of thick-armed oarsmen. Lacking any major firepower at range, the Wargalleys main duty is to hunt in packs and get as close to the enemy ships as possible to either hit them with their forward rams or to intitiate a boarding-action.

Source

 * Man O' War -- pg. 34

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