Aftcastle
Encyclopedia
An aftcastle is the upper deck of a sailing ship positioned behind the mizzenmast. It was used in medieval shipping such as galleys or galleass
es to provide a heightened platform from which to fire upon other ships; it was also a place of defense in the event of boarding. More common, but much smaller, is the forecastle
.
Galleass
The galleass developed from large merchant galleys.Converted for military use they were higher and larger than regular galleys. They had up to 32 oars, each worked by up to 5 men. They usually had three masts and a forecastle and aftcastle. Much effort was made in Venice to make these galleasses...
es to provide a heightened platform from which to fire upon other ships; it was also a place of defense in the event of boarding. More common, but much smaller, is the forecastle
Forecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
.