Editing Warship (section)

===Ship Types===
*'''Carrack''': The first ocean-going large (by-then standards) ship capable of long voyages. The Carrack had "castles," or raised decks for archers to shoot from, until they eventually started carrying cannons.
*'''Galleon''': Evolved from the carrack, galleons were armed merchant ships that acted as auxiliaries to the navy. The high castles of the medieval Carrack were no longer needed, but the same general shape was kept. Even after Ships of the Line were introduced, galleons were still the primary merchant vessel used until the 19th century. And because of that, they were also the ship type most commonly used by [[pirate]]s.
*'''Ship of the Line''': A ship that belong to the first three rates.  These ships had three decks (two for third rate) full of guns, and got their name as they formed the main offensive line in battle, much like a line of riflemen in terrestrial battles. The winner was typically whoever brought the most cannons to the fight, hence they could go upwards of 90 cannons on the heavy ships, with some going for ludicrous 124 gun broadsides. Spain's Santissima Trinidad clocked in at 140 guns, effectively becoming a "fourdecker". The 74 gun ship was the most common, as it had the right balance of speed and power. Ships of the line continued to be built in steamboat versions until Ironclads took over.
*'''Frigate''': A ship of the fifth or sixth rates. A Great Frigate belonged to the fourth rate, as did a Razee ship of the line that had it's upper deck removed to get more use out of old hulls. These smaller ships were not part of the line, but could be used as scouts, convoy escorts (or raiders), or to protect a formation's flanks from other such ships.  The ideal frigate was a fast ship with a single fighting deck of relatively large cannons, able to outrun anything it couldn't outgun allowing them to pick their battles.  Frigates were highly desirable assignments for officers and crew alike, with the prospect of frequent career-advancing action, and the possibility of prize money from capturing ships; a prize share for even a lowly rating could easily be more than they'd make in a year of service.  
*'''Sloop of War''': A ship below the 20-gun threshold, and was thus "unrated."
*'''Fluyt''': A Dutch design, the Fluyt had a pear-like cross section, meaning that the main deck was narrower than the decks below it.  This was because Dutch ship taxes were assessed on the area of the main deck, so reducing the deck area while maximizing the hold volume was very lucrative.  While exceptionally good as cargo vessels they were poorly suited to combat and rarely pressed into service.  
*'''Junk''': In the Far East, the Junk was the most popular type of ship for both warships and treasure fleets. They came in a very large variety of sizes, but all used square sails that folded accordion-style. The most famous example is the fleet of Chinese Admiral-Explorer Zheng He, who sailed a massive treasure fleet with many specialized junks, including water tankers, supply and repair ships, etc.
*'''Turtle Ship''': Some say was the precursor to the Western Ironclad; developed in Korea during their conflicts with [[Japan]] as early as the 15th century. Essentially a short, sail and oar powered ship, with an enclosed spiked roof and a U-shaped underside. Some variants had dragon-heads mounted on the bow that spewed smoke or were armed with fore-firing cannons, but it was primarily a ramming vessel that could get in close without fear of being boarded due to the spikes on the top, then turn on its axis and let rip with its own broadsides.