Ghali, gali or gale refers to several types of galley-like ships from Nusantara archipelago. In the archipelago, already existed several native galley-like ships, some with outriggers. A ghali is the result of mediterranean impact of native shipbuilding, particularly introduced by the Arabs, Persians, Ottoman Turks, and Portuguese. However the terms may refer toMediterranean vessels built by local people, or native vessels with Mediterranean influence.
Etymology
The word ghali and its variation comes from the Portuguese word galé, which means galley. The reason of addition of the letter h is because it is written in Malay texts using jawi script, with an initial ghain as in ghurab.
History and description
There are several type of vessels using similar names in the archipelago, the description and construction of each vessel isn't necessarily the same.
A royal galley of the Malacca sultanate that was built approximately in 1453 is called Mendam Berahi. It was 60 gaz long and 6 depa wide. This ghali had 3 masts and could carry 400 men; 200 of them were rowers in 50 rowing line. It was armed with 7 bow-mounted meriam and ramming beam.
In eastern Indonesia, a type of vessel called galé adapted by the Spanish and the Portuguese for use in the Philippines and eastern Indonesia. It was long and narrow, the vessel narrowed considerably fore and aft. The length is 7 or 8 times its breadth. It had a deck running the whole length of the boat and was propelled by long oars. A special deck was built for the fighting men, and along the whole length of the galley were placed shields to protect the rowers and the soldiers.
The Sultanate of Aceh is famous for the use of Ottoman-derived galleys. It is interesting that the Aceh's term for galley is ghali, which is derived from the Portuguese word galé, not from Turkish term for it. Acehnese in 1568 siege ofPortuguese Malacca used 4 large galley 40–50 meter long each with 190 rowers in 24 banks. They were armed with 12 large camelos, 1 basilisk, 12 falcons, and 40 swivel guns. By then cannons, firearms, and other war material had come annually from Jeddah, and the Turks also sent military experts, masters of galleys, and technicians. The average Acehnese galley in the second half of the 16th century would have been approximately 50 metres long, had two masts, with square sails and top sails, not lateen sails like those of Portuguese galleys. It would have been propelled by 24 oars on each side, carrying about 200 men aboard, and armed with 20 cannons. In 1575 siege, Aceh used 40 two-masted galleys with Turkish captains carrying 200–300 soldier of Turk, Arab, Deccanis, and Aceh origins. The state galleys of Aceh, Daya, and Pedir is said to carry 10 meriam, 50 lela, and 120 cecorong. Smaller galley carry 5 meriam, 20 lela, and 50 cecorong. Western and native sources mention that Aceh had 100–120 galleys at any time, spread from Daya to Pedir. One galley captured by Portuguese in 1629 during Iskandar Muda's reign is very large, and it was reported there were total 47 of them. She reached 100 m in length and 17 m in breadth, had 3 masts with square sails and topsails, propelled by 35 oars on each side and able to carry 700 men. It is armed with 98 guns: 18 large cannon, 80 falcons, and many swivel guns. The ship is called "Espanto do Mundo", which probably a free translation from Cakradonya. The Portuguese reported that it was bigger than anything ever built in the Christian world, and that its castle could compete with that of galleons.
Java
Two Dutch engravings from 1598 and 1601 depicted galley from Banten and Madura. They had 2 and 1 mast, respectively. The major difference from mediterranean galleys, this galley had raised fighting platform called "balai" in which the soldier stood, a feature common in warships of the region. Javanese galleys and galley-like vessels are built according to instruction from Turks living in Banten.
Sulawesi
The Sultanate of Gowa of the mid-17th century had galle' 40 m long and 6 m breadth, carrying 200–400 men. Other galle' of the kingdom varied between 23–35 m in length. Those ships were used by Gowa's king to perform inter-island sea voyages and trades in Nusantara, either in the western or in the eastern. Karaeng Matoaja, government director of Gowa and prince of Tallo, among other things, had nine galleys, which he had built in the year in which Buton was conquered. The ships are called galé. Their dimensions are 20 depah long and 3 depah wide. They had three rudders: Two Indonesian rudders on either side of the stern, and a European axial rudder. It is not strange that Makassar had galleys in the 17th century. Gowa has maintained friendly relations with the Portuguese since 1528. This kind of ships is usually owned by the rich people and kings of Bugis and Makassar. For inter-island trading, Makassarean gale ships were considered as the most powerful ship, and therefore used by Bugis-Makassar and Malayan noblemen to transport spices from Moluccas. The usage of gale improved the maritime trading in Gowa, as well as other ports in South Sulawesi, since 16th century.
