HISTORY OF NAVIGATION - FOURTH ISSUEID32897053
The Royal Mint of Spain presents a series of coins dedicated to the "History of Navigation".
These series reproduce a selection of vessels that, for one reason or another, have been relevant over time.
It consists of twenty coins.
Four of them were launched in 2018 and the remaining sixteen in 2019, in four issues.
The fourth issue is made up of the following coins:
Roman War Bireme, Nao Victoria, 17th century Spanish Galleon and Spanish Ironclud Numancia.
| Series | History of Navigation |
| Year | 2019 |
| Colour | Yes |
| Maximum Mintage (units) | 10,000 |
History of Navigation - Fourth Issue
ROMAN WAR BIRREME
Period: From the first century BC to the fifteenth century AD.
Length: Between 24.4 m and 25 m Beam: Between 5 and 5.5 m.
Propulsion: Oars and sails combined.
Weaponry: Catapults and the crew’s hand-held weapons.
Description: Like the trireme, the quadrireme and the quinquireme, the bireme evolved from the galley, converted into a warship by the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses III and the Phoenicians around the year 800 BC. So as to equip the craft for use in warfare, the hull was lengthened and the oarsmen were arranged on two levels, with 12 per side per level, making a total of 48, thus earning the vessel the name of bireme.
ARMOURED FRIGATE NUMANCIA
Period: Nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Length: 96 m Beam: 17 m Draught: 8 m.
Propulsion: Sails and engine.
Weaponry: Cannons and portable arms.
Description: Named after the feat performed by the Celtiberian inhabitants of Numancia against Roman legions, the Numancia is one of the most important vessels in the history of the Spanish Royal Navy.
SPANISH GALLEON. SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Period: From the sixteenth to the seventeenth centuries.
Length: Length-to-beam ratio 3.2:3.5.
Propulsion: Sails.
Weaponry: Typical artillery: 13 cannons per side on the first deck, 12 on the second, three per side on the poop deck and four per side on the upper deck.
Description: Taking its name from the term galley, the vessel started to be known as the Spanish galleon in the sixteenth century.
NAO VICTORIA
Period: Sixteenth century.
Length: 25 m Beam: 7.5 m.
Propulsion: Sails.
Description: A descendant of the carrack, the nao was a vessel with a high length-to-beam ratio and was used mainly by the Iberian nations in trans-oceanic journeys at the time of the Voyages of Discovery. It was 200 to 600 tonnes in size and the Spanish one in particular featured a keel twice the size of the beam and was triple its length. It was fitted with square-rigged sails and, although it did not sail very close to the wind, it tacked with ease. High capacity in terms of artillery and cargo.