a warship adopted by many European countries in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The galleass was an improvement upon the galley, or long-ship (length up to 80 m, a single row of oars, and three masts with fore-and-aft sails). It was armed with up to 70 guns of various caliber, which were mounted on the ship’s bow, stern, and sides. The bow was equipped with an above-water ram. One oar was operated by nine or ten slave oarsmen who were chained to leg stocks. The crew totaled 800-1,200. Galleasses were used for the first time by the Venetian fleet in the naval battle with the Turks at Lepanto in 1571. Galleasses were not built in Russia.