Crommesteven

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The Crommesteven or cromsteven, often as crompster, cromster or crumster (from crom = bent, concave; steven = stem) [1] was a type of small warship used by the Dutch Republic and later by the British fleets during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. [2] It was designed for work inshore on the shoal Netherlands coast and was a ketch, spritsail rigged on the main, and lateen on the small mizzen. As a class of vessel, it was represented in England by the hoy. When queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, her navy was reported to consist of 31 great ships, including galleons and crompsters, though crommestevens were considerably smaller than galleons. [3]

For its size, it was heavily armed and capable of influencing events ashore, in which respect it played a part in the Spanish Armada campaign of 1588.

Sources

  1. Robert Gardiner, Brian Lavery: The Line of Battle: The Sailing Warship 1650-1840, Conway Maritime 2004. ISBN   0-85177-954-9. p.67
  2. L. E. Harris: The Two Netherlanders Humphtey Bradlay and Cornelis Drebbel. Brill Archive, p.96
  3. Corbett, Julian Stafford: The successors of Drake, London : Longmans, Green 1900. p.411


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