Ghali,gali, orgale are a type ofgalley-like ships from theNusantara archipelago. This type of ship only appeared after the 1530s. Before the appearance of this type of ship, several native galley-like ships already existed in the archipelago, some withoutriggers. The design ofghali is the result of the impact made by Mediterranean shipbuilding techniques on native shipbuilding, introduced particularly byArabs,Persians,Ottoman Turks, andPortuguese. The terms may also refer to Mediterranean vessels built by local people, or native vessels withMediterranean influence.[1]
The wordghali and its variation come from the Portuguese wordgalé, which means galley.[2] The reason for the addition of the letterh is because it is written in Malay texts usingjawi script, with an initialghain (غ) as inghurab.[1]: 163
There are several types of vessels using similar names in the archipelago, but the description and construction of each vessel aren't necessarily the same.
The Malay epicHikayat Hang Tuah mentioned aMalaccan royal galley (ghali kenaikan raja) calledMendam Berahi (Malay for "Suppressed Passion"). It was 60gaz (180 ft or 54.9 m)[note 1] long and 6depa (36 ft or 11 m) wide.[3] It was armed with 7meriam (native cannon).[4][5]: 180 [6]: 299
However,Mendam Berahi was actually a fictional ship, because it was only mentioned in the fictional literatureHikayat Hang Tuah, and no other Malay manuscripts mentioned its existence.[7][8] AlthoughHHT's story is set in the Malacca sultanate (1400–1511), it reflects events that occurred in theJohor sultanate in the 17th century, more specifically in Johor's golden age in the 1640s to 1670s. The main character,Hang Tuah, is a fictional character, but the story is based on the true story of Admiral Abd al-Jamil (Tun Abdul Jamil) from Johor.[9] Contemporary Portuguese records indicate that galleys appeared in the regional fleets during the late 1530s, before that the mainstay of the Malay fleet was thelancaran. It was not until the 1560s that the ghali became more widespread, mostly used byAcehnese people, not Malays. The word "ghali" itself is a loanword from the Portuguese language, so the existence ofghali during the heyday of the Malacca sultanate is ananachronism.[1]: 164 [10]: 77, 210–212
TheMalays prefer to use shallow draught, oared longships similar to the galley, such aslancaran,penjajap, andkelulus for their war fleet.[note 2] This is very different from theJavanese who prefer long-range, deep-draught round ships such asjong andmalangbang. The reason for this difference is that the Malays operated their ships in riverine water, sheltered straits zone, and archipelagic environment, while the Javanese are often active in the open and high sea. After contact with Iberian people, both the Javanese and Malay fleets began to use theghurab and ghali more frequently.[6]: 270–277, 290–291, 296–301 [1]: 148, 155
In eastern Indonesia, a type of vessel calledgalé (lit. galley) was adapted by theSpanish and the Portuguese for use in thePhilippines and eastern Indonesia. The vessel narrowed considerably fore and aft. The length is 7 or 8 times its width. They have a deck that extends the length of the boat and was propelled by long oars. Fighting men is situated in a dedicated deck, and shields were placed along the whole length of the galley to protect the rowers and the soldiers.[13]: 378
TheSultanate of Aceh is famous for the use ofOttoman-derived galleys. Aceh's term for galley isghali, which is derived from the Portuguese wordgalé, not from the Turkish term for it (Kadırga).[1]: 163 TheAcehnese in the 1568 siege of Portuguese Malacca used 4 large galleys of about 40–50 meters long each with 190 rowers in 24 banks. They were armed with 12 large camelos (3 at each bow side, 4 at the stern), 1basilisk (bow-mounted), 12 falcons, and 40 swivel guns.[1]: 164 By then cannons, firearms, and other war materials had come annually fromJeddah, and the Turks also sent military experts, galleys experts, and technicians.[14] The average Acehnese galley in the second half of the 16th century would have been about 50 meters long and had two masts that were equipped with square sails andtopsails, notlateen sails like those of Portuguese galleys.[15]: 106–107 [16][1]: 165 It would have been propelled by 24 oars on each side, carrying about 200 men aboard, and armed with about 20 cannons (2 or 3 large ones at the bow, with the rest beingswivel guns).[1]: 165
In the 1575 siege, Aceh used 40 two-masted galleys with Turkish captains carrying 200–300 soldiers ofTurk,Arab,Deccanis, and Aceh origins. The state galleys (ghorabistana) of Aceh, Daya, and Pedir were said to carry 10meriam, 50lela, and 120cecorong (excluding theistinggar). The smaller galley carried 5meriam, 20lela, and 50cecorong.[17]: 165 Western and native sources mention thatAceh had 100–120 galleys at any time (excluding the smallerfusta andgaliot), spread from Daya (west coast) to Pedir (east coast). One galley captured by the Portuguese in 1629 duringIskandar Muda's reign is very large, and it was reported there were a total of 47 of them. She reached 100 m in length and 17 m in width, had 3 masts with square sails and topsails, was propelled by 35 oars on each side, and was able to carry 700 men. It is armed with 98 guns: 18 large cannons (five 55-pounders at the bow, one 25-pounder at the stern, the rest were17 and18-pounders), 80falcons, and many swivel guns. The ship is called "Espanto do Mundo" (terror of the universe), which is probably a translation fromCakradonya (Cakra Dunia). The Portuguese reported that it was bigger than anything ever built in the Christian world and the height of itscastle could compete with the height of galleons.[1]: 166
Two Dutch engravings from 1598 and 1601 depicted galley fromBanten andMadura. They had two and one masts, respectively. The major difference from Mediterranean galleys, this galley had raised fighting platform called "balai" in which the soldier stood, a feature common in warships of the region.[18][1]: 165 Javanese galleys and galley-like vessels are built according to instruction from Turks living in Banten.[19]: 132 plate 27 [20]: 373
TheSultanate of Gowa of the mid-17th century hadgalle' (orgalé) 40 m long and 6 m breadth, carrying 200–400 men. Othergalle' of the kingdom varied between 23 and 35 m in length.[21]: 160 [22]: 85 [23] The ships were used by the king of Gowa to conduct voyages and sea trade between islands in the archipelago, both in the west (Malacca,Riau,Mempawah,Kalimantan) and in the east (Banda,Timor,Flores,Bima,Ternate, and NorthAustralia).[24][22]: 85
Karaeng Matoaja, government director of Gowa and prince ofTallo, among other things, had nine galleys, which he had built in the year in whichButon was conquered (1626). The ships are called galé. Their dimensions are 20depah (36.6 m) long and 3depah (5.5 m) wide. They had three rudders: TwoIndonesian rudders on either side of the stern, and a European axial rudder. It is not strange thatMakassar had galleys in the 17th century. Gowa has maintained friendly relations with the Portuguese since 1528.[20]: 371–372
This kind of ship is usually owned by the rich people and kings ofMakassar. For inter-island trading, Makassarean gale ships were considered the most powerful ship, and therefore used by Makassar and Malayan noblemen to transport spices fromthe Moluccas. The usage of the gale improved the maritime trading in Gowa, as well as other ports in South Sulawesi, since the 16th century.[25][22]: 85
