A sailing warship of the late 16th century. Galleons eventually replaced the less manoeuvrable carracks as the principal type of European trading ship. From the designs of Sir John Hawkins, English galleons were the first to develop the characteristic beaked prow and modestly sized forecastle. These features were later incorporated in the great Spanish and Portuguese galleons which were used for overseas trade. In particular, ‘plate fleets’ of Spanish and Portuguese galleons brought large quantities of gold and silver from the Americas to Europe during the 16th and early 17th centuries. Spain continued to use galleons until the late 17th century.