Penjajap, alsopangajava andpangayaw, were nativegalley-like warships used by severalAustronesian ethnic groups inmaritime Southeast Asia. They were typically very long and narrow, and were very fast. They are mentioned as being used by native fleets inIndonesia, the southernPhilippines,Malaysia, andBrunei.
The original name for the ships among the natives of theMaluku Islands, easternSabah, westernMindanao, and theSulu Archipelago ispangayaw ormangayaw (literally meaning "raider"). This was transcribed in European sources (chieflyDutch andPortuguese) variously aspangaio,pangaia,panguaye,pangajao,pangajaua,pangajava,penjajab,penjajap,pindjajap,penjelajah, andpangara.[1][2][3][4] TheBritish East India Company explorerThomas Forrest also records that the Iranun called themmangaio.[3]: 239–240
The terms (particularlypangaio) were also later borrowed and used generically for any native wooden sailing ships made from planks without using nails by thePortuguese Empire in their colonies inAfrica andIndia. This usage later spread to other European colonial powers, being applied chiefly toArab andSwahili-built ships.[5][6][4] The terms are similarly inaccurately applied to thegaray, fast raiding vessels of theBanguingui andIranun people in thePhilippines. However, thegaray were much broader and did not have outriggers.[1][2]
Penjajap may also be generically referred to asprao,prahu,proe,prauw, orprow in historical records.[7] The "List of Ships and Sea Vehicles fromEast Indies" which is periodically published by colonial government of Dutch East Indies, registeredpangajaoa aspengajoehan (pengayuhan). The list records its name came fromkajoeh (kayuh—means paddle) andpengajoeh (pengayuh—means paddler), and consider it as a kind ofgalley.[8]
In modern Malay military literature, penjajap refers to moderncruiser classes,[9] although English loanword "kruiser" might be used.[10]
The earliest record of penjajap is from 1509 by thePortuguese historianFernão Lopes de Castanheda, he said thatpangajava (penjajap) were vessels fromSumatra, long and swift, going very well under sail or oars.[11]: Livro III/cap. 51: 129
According to Afonso de Albuquerque, during the1511 Portuguese attack on the Malacca Sultanate, the Malays used an unspecified number oflancaran (lanchara) and twenty penjajap (pangajaoa).[12][13]
In 1775, the British explorerThomas Forrest described a large penjajap in anIranun harbor inSulu as being only 4 ft (1.2 m) wide and 3.5 ft (1.1 m) deep, but was as long as 42 ft (13 m). It mounted six brass lantaka and carried a crew of thirty men, and was equipped with outriggers.[14][3]: 240–241
AdmiralFrançois-Edmond Pâris observed penjajaps during his voyage aboard the shipFavorite. The dimensions of the vessels encountered vary widely, the largest he saw were 17 m (56 ft) long, 3.4 m (11.2 ft) wide and 2.1 m (6.9 ft) deep; the smallest was 11 m (36 ft) long.[15]
Herbert Warington Smyth reported the description of penjajap fromMalay peninsula at the end of the 19th century. The boats were using dippinglugsail, with small deckhouse or awning (calledkajang in Malay) and overhanging stern gallery (calleddandan).[16]
Penjajap were made from light materials. They were typically very long and narrow and had a shallow draft. This allowed them to sail over dangerous reefs as well as upriver. Large penjajap hadoutriggers, without which, they would capsize.[3]: 240 Penjajap has sharp stern but with an overhanging gallery. Deckhouse amidships is made of palm leaves with thatched roof. In the 19th century they are steered using centerline rudder of western design, but early penjajap may have used double quarter rudder. They have 1, 2, or 3 masts depending on the size, the quadrilateral sail has yard and boom. Long narrow oars are also used for propulsion. The name "Pagar Tenggalong" refers to a type of penjajap with ornamental bulwark/rail.[17]
Penjajap carried 1 or 2 guns of larger caliber in the wooden gunshield (apilan). Small penjajap only carried 1–2lantaka supported on posts at the bow, while larger ones had additional swivel guns mounted at the sides. They were propelled by oars and usually by twotanja sails (calledsaguran among Sulu pirates). They could be rowed both forwards and backwards. They had a relatively open deck covered by a platform. A small cabin is located at the back, which served as the quarters of thenakodah and as a magazine for arms.[3]: 239 [7]
Like the larger and broadergaray, they also served as motherships to smallerkakap war-boats. Penjajap were very fast. Large penjajap could reach speeds of 9 knots (17 km/h) under sail, and 5 knots (9.3 km/h) when rowed. In Iranun raiding fleets, they usually outpaced the slowerlanong warships.[18]}[3]: 241
Penjajap were chiefly used as inter-insular warships and aspirate ships. Iranun penjajap were usually lightly armed compared to the lanong. Usually they only mount a singlelela (native cannon). While lanong was specially designed for ship-to-ship combat, penjajap is more suited to raid coastal villages and attack lightly armed or unarmedmerchant ships. In such raids, penjajap were usually accompanied by smaller boats calledkakap, which are used as scouts for the penjajap or lanong.[19]: 183–184 [20][21]
ThePortuguese diplomatTomé Pires, on his visit toNusantara, referred the penjajap as cargo vessels. Many cargo penjajap were collected byPati Unus from various port cities inJava to attack the Portuguese inMalacca. Penjajap were converted to serve as armed troop transports for landing, as theJavanese junks were too large to approach shore. Penjajap was the other type of vessels counted by Pires afterjunks and lancaran upon arriving at a port. However Pires said that after the boats were donated to Pati Unus, trading activity in the ports became more lethargic.[22]
Admiral François-Edmond Pâris noted several cargo penjajap in Malacca strait during 1830s. The penjajap broughtspices, driedareca nuts, and coconut almonds from Sumatra, and seem to frequent only the southern part of the strait.[15]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
