Réale ("royal") was a galley of the French galley corps, and the flagship of the French galley fleet under Louis XIV. She was designed by Jean-Baptiste Chabert, and built in Marseille between 1692 and 1694.Les pavillons de la marine sous l’Ancien Régime
Status Réale was termed a galère extraordinaire ("extraordinary galley") since she had a larger crew than normal fleet galleys.In the French nomenclature for galleys, "ordinary galleys" had 26 pairs of oars with 6 oarsmen per bank; "extraordinary" ones had 29, 30 or 32 banks with 6 or 7 oarsmen.
The status of Réale was thus defined:
Legacy
The decorations of the stern are on display at the Musée de la Marine in Paris. The museum also features a contemporary model of an ordinary galley modified to look like the Réale.
Notes
External links Les galères du Roi-Soleil Ornements de poupe de la galère Réale