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Identifying various ship types

Malta’s long-established maritime history can be seen in the various ship types depicted in the graffiti assemblage. In many cases a graffito may be little more than a few lines more akin to a scrawl than a fully-detailed vessel. Whereas in the case of detailed examples of ship graffiti, vessel types can even be identified, which can inform on the potential age of the graffito itself. For further reading see Muscat, J. 2002. Il-Graffiti Marittimi Maltin. Malta: Pubblikazzonijiet Indipendenza.

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Ship
Graffito of a Dreadnought type found near to the Victoria Gate, Valletta. The diagonal lines on the hull would likely be spars for torpedo nets.
HMS Dreadnought, 1906. Note the curved bow and torpedo net spars.
Photograph sourced from U.S. Naval Historical Center [Public Domain].

Ship Identification

Dreadnought Battleships

At the turn of the 20th Century, the Royal Navy introduced a new class of battleship known as the Dreadnought-class. These types of ships featured a clearly identifiable inverted bow which is also represented in the graffiti. With the Mediterranean Fleet based in Malta, ships including the HMS Iron Duke​ (1912) would have often been visible in the Grand Harbour, a very short distance from the graffiti site in the left image. Although Dreadnought-type ships are relatively uncommon in the graffiti assemblage, their inverted bows are immediately distinctive.

Graffiti sites in Malta and Gozo are often uncovered due to developments and refurbishments of historic buildings- as such the catalogue of graffiti in Malta is constantly expanding. 

Ship Identification

Ship of the Line

​At the beginning of the 18th Century it was decided to bolster the Maltese naval fleet with a sailing squadron of ships of the line to complement the already formidable galleys of the Order. This new sailing squadron was able to operate throughout the year, with this type of vessel also used by privateers for corsairing throughout the Mediterranean. Ships of the line are quite common in the graffiti assemblage and are sometimes depicted with full sails, detailed beakheads (the protruding front part of the ship) and other such features. 
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Graffito of a Maltese ship of the line on the exterior of a private house in Qormi. This graffito was clearly identifiable and even carries the quartered flag of the Grand Master of the Order of St John. Compare the number of masts, and the angled spar on the left-most mast.
A third-rate ship of the line model used for training new shipwrights of the Knights of St John. Currently found in the Malta Maritime Museum.
Photograph taken by Marie-Lan Nguyen, distributed under a CC-BY 2.5 license.
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This deeply-incised tartana can be found on the front of the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta. Note the detail of the sail stitching and gundeck.
A tartana typically had three lateen sails (triangle instead of square sail).
Photo: Malta Maritime Museum.

Ship Identification

The Maltese Tartana

Ship graffiti isn’t just limited to bellicose vessels, with traditional boats and merchant ships also depicted in the assemblages. The tartana is an example of this type of vessel having traditionally been used for transporting goods and people as well as for corsairing purposes. Tartanas can be often found in the graffiti and are recognisable by their three lateen sails (triangular-shaped instead of square). They can also sometimes be depicted with a line of cannon.

Ship Identification

Traditional Maltese Boats

The 'Luzzu', the 'Dgħajsa' and others

However, not all incisions depict large vessels- a number of graffiti depict traditional boats used for fishing or transport of goods and people. These traditional Maltese boats, the Luzzu and Dgħajsa are brightly decorated with bold, primary colours and are symbolic of the Maltese islands. Unfortunately, the introduction of fibreglass hulls, increasing costs of timber and the labour and time-intensive construction has seen a decline in these traditional boats during the 20th Century, with some boat types now limited to only a handful of examples left.  
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This deeply-incised graffito depicts a traditional frejgatina, a small open fishing boat. This particular example can be found on the exterior of the Zurrieq Parish Church.
This frejgatina was used for the regatta - a traditional rowing event that pits rival towns against each other in a race with traditional wooden rowing boats. Currently part of the Malta Maritime Museum collection.
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Replica graffito of a Carrack located at the Old Prisons in Gozo.

Ship Identification

Carrack

The carrack was a ship of great dimensions, primarily destined to serve as a merchant vessel. At times, the carrack also proved to be a formidable warship. This type of ship formed a part of the Order of St John’s naval force. Some known carracks belonging to the Order were known as the San Giovanni, Santa Marija and the Sant’Anna. These ships are characterised by their sheer size, having six decks in the case of the Sant’Anna. Carracks were equipped with two decks housing at least 50 gun ports for cannon, a gun deck for lighter guns and a battery. Other defining features of a carrack include the fore and aftercastle. The aftercastle may be depicted as having lanterns with flags, displaying their allegiance to the Order, the Faith and the Grandmaster. Carracks may be depicted with a ram protruding from the bow of the vessel. The carrack was propelled by sails located on the main and fore masts, the stern mast and the mizzen. For more detailed information see Muscat, J. 2000. The Carrack of the Order. Malta: Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza.

Ship Identification

Galley

The galley is a type of ship which is associated with the Order of St John. A galley served more than one function but it was commonly used in warfare. The galley is commonly found as a ship graffito in Malta. The Chapel of wied il-Qleigħa in Mosta and the old parish church at Birkirkara are two locations where galley ship graffiti can be found in abundance. This type of ship is often depicted with a hull of one or two decks. Galleys are known for their long but shallow hulls, projecting a minimal amount above the waterline. A row of oars are often etched onto the graffito in a series of parallel lines. This type of ship was propelled by large lateen sails on the main mast and foremast. The Order of St John’s galleys are identifiable also by the Order’s flag that is sometimes included in the graffito.
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Graffito of a galley on the exterior wall of the Balzan Parish Church.
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The Malta Ship Graffiti Project, Graffito of a Chebec (Archbishop’s Curia, Floriana, 2023).
Joseph Muscat, The Chebec (Malta, PIN, 2007).

Ship Identification

Chebec

The chebec appeared in the Mediterranean during the seventeenth century, introduced by the Barbary regencies. It reached its peak effectiveness under Algerian corsairs and was later adopted by Christian naval powers. Its sail arrangement, limited use of oars and, most importantly, efficient underwater hull shape gave it exceptional speed and resilience, even during the winter. Maltese shipowners used the chebec in the grain trade as it could transport cargoes of up to 300 tons. Armed with up to 14 small guns, the Order of St John also used the chebec to guard the Grand Harbour and for the corso. In the late eighteenth century, the chebec’s rigging was modified, combining a large lateen sail on the foremast with square sails on the main and mizzen masts. Due to new similarities to the polacca, the chebec was subsequently referred to as the polacca-chebec.

Ship Identification

Brig

The brig, a square-rigged and two-masted vessel, began to appear in Maltese waters in the late 18th century. Early brigs were relatively small cargo ships, typically measuring between 80 and 100 tons. They also displayed decorative features inherited from earlier traditions in shipbuilding. Although brigs were officially described as having a single flush deck, examples from the early nineteenth century often retained a modestly raised deck at the stern. During the British period, brig building in Malta reached notably high standards. The biggest brigs exceeded more than 200 tons burthen.

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A.H.J. Prins, In Peril on the Sea: Marine Votive Paintings in the Maltese Islands (Malta, Said International Ltd., 1989), 201.
Joseph Muscat, Il-Graffiti Marittimi Maltin (Malta, PIN, 2002), 284.
Joseph Abela, Model of the Brig Corriere (Malta Maritime Museum)
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Source: The Malta Ship Graffiti Project, Graffito of a Schooner (Triq it-28 ta` April 1688, Qala, Gozo).
Source: John L. Chapman, British Seascape Schooner Sailing Ship Kathleen & May (20th Century).

Ship Identification

Schooner

The schooner was a sailing vessel designed for both speed and cargo carrying. A Maltese ex-voto dated 1792 provides an early example of a locally built schooner. This vessel had two spanker sails, no topsails, and two jibs, giving it a simple but practical sail arrangement. It also had a decorated square stern, although this feature is slightly unusual since rounded sterns were more common by that period. The schooner appears to have had one main deck, possibly with a raised quarterdeck, as well as a spacious hold. Small schooners of this type could carry around 70 to 100 tons of cargo.

Ship Identification

Speronara

The speronara emerged as a distinctly Maltese vessel in the 18th century and remained in use until World War II. It was cheap to build and could be operated by a small crew. Its functions included transporting grain as well as passengers between Malta, Sicily and Italy. The Order of St. John relied on it to patrol the Grand Harbour and to carry out reconnaissance against enemy forces. Early forms of the speronara were open, double-ended boats with a projecting sperone (bow beak) at the bow, the feature from which the boat acquired its name. They employed both the sprit-sail rigging and lateen rigging. Later competition prompted enlargement and a higher freeboard. Two types are known as the smaller Gozitan Speronara and the bigger Great Speronara.

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Source: Giovanni Schranz, Speronara leaving Grand Harbour (Malta Maritime Museum, 1858).
Source: The Malta Ship Graffiti Project, Graffito of a Lateen-Rigged Speronara (Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes, Imgarr, Gozo, 2023).