A warship used principally in the Mediterranean from the 2nd millennium bc. The galley’s major weapon was originally a ram on the water-line, used to hole enemy ships or to smash their oars. It was propelled by oars in battle, and carried sails for use in favourable winds. The success of the galley as a warship was due to its great speed and manoeuvrability. This type of galley reached its furthest development in ancient Greece. The best-known type of Greek galley was the trireme, with three banks (rows) of oars; a famous trireme battle took place between the Greek and Persian fleets at Salamis in 480 bc. The Viking longship was a small but durable type of galley. Galleys continued to be of military importance until the 16th century; Lepanto (1571) was the last great naval battle involving large numbers of galleys. Galleys continued to be used as convict ships until the 18th century.