Xebec
| Xebec | |
|---|---|
A xebec with three lateens and oars | |
| Type | Sailing vessel |
| Place of origin | Probably Algeria |
| Service history | |
| In service | 16th to mid-19th century |
| Used by | Mainly MENA states Sometimes used in Europe |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 100–200 tons, in some cases up to 600 t |
| Crew | 90 to 400 |
A xebec (/ˈziːbɛk/ or /zɪˈbɛk/), also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that originated in the barbary states (Algeria), it was used mostly for trading. Xebecs had a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a small, fast vessel of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, used almost exclusively in the Mediterranean Sea.