Shallop
A shallop was a small boat used for coastal navigation from the seventeenth century. Somewhat larger than a dory, the shallop was about 30 feet long and equipped with oars and a mast with one or two sails. A shallop could take over a dozen people and usually had a shallow draft of about two feet.[1] Nevertheless vessels of this design could carry a substantial load and be armed with cannon.
Captain John Smith used shallops to explore Chesapeake Bay in the Summer of 1608. The boats were sawed in half and stowed aboard the Susan Constant, being reassembled when the colonists arrived in North America.[1]
The Danes armed shallops for use as gunboats, particularly in the Gunboat War (1807–1814) between Denmark–Norway and the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
References
- ^ a b "The Shallop". Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. National Park Service. Retrieved 16 October 2016.