Galleon

Galleon (Spanish), a large ship formerly used by the Spaniards to carry home the gold, silver, and other wealth contributed by the Mexican and South American colonies. They were armed, and had usually three or four decks, with bulwarks three or four feet thick, and stem and stern built up high like castles. They had a particular fascination for Drake and other Elizabethan rovers, who so contrived that many of them never reached the ports of Spain.