The Crompster in Literature and Pictures

Abstract

The Crompster is a little known vessel similar to a hoy or a galley that came to prominence in the late Elizabethan period mostly for merchant service on the shoal waters of the English Channel. Sprit-sail or smack-sail rigged, manoeuvrable and shoal draft, they could carry a heavy armament if necessary. The article traces the military service of crompsters pressed into the English and Dutch navies against the Spanish and the difficulty of interpreting the description of this vessel.

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Filed under: Tudors | English Channel | North Sea
Subjects include: Merchant Marines | Navies | Shipbuilding & Design