Galleys of Malta in the 16th century according to Ubaldino Mori Ubaldini

In his book dealing with the knight so Malta Ubaldino Mori Ubaldini published a long list of the ships and galleys serving in the navy of their knights. There are more publications in which information can be find dealing with their ships, for instance R.C. Anderson’s Naval Wars in the Levant and several articles dealing with a facet of this navy. Ubaldini’s book is not well spread; so I translate his list in to English to make it accessible for more shiplovers. The original list contains an exact date, the name of the galley and her commanding officer. I excluded the name of the name of the officer and just mention a year instead of the full fate (probably of his commission). So it become easy to get an impression of the strength in a certain year. A quick comparison with other sources indicates that the list wasn’t complete so while using it (some) reserve is necessary! I added some details using two other sources.

1503. Ubaldini mentioned one galley.
1519. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Caterina and the Santa Maria.
1523. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni and the Santa Caterina. Atauz mentioned the Santa Maria/Capitana, Sante Caterina and the San Giovanni.
1524. Atauz mentioned the Santa Maria/Capitana, Santa Caterina and the San Giovanni.
1530. Ubaldini mentioned the San Filippo, San Giovanni,and the Santa Croce. Atauz mentioned a number of 3 to 5. According to one source (Bosio) the Santa Croce, San Philippo and San Giovanni, according to another source (Ross) the Santa Maria/Capitana, Santa Caterina adn San Giovanni and the two newly built at Villefranche San Filippo and San Giacomo.
1531. Ubaldini mentioned the Aquila, San Giovanni and the Santa Maria Vittoriosa. Atauz mentioned 2 regular galleys and 2 galleys hired by the Grandmaster.
1532. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni and the Santa Maria Vittoriosa. Atauz mentioned a number of 4 in August.
1534. San Filippo, San Giovanni and the Santa Croce.
1535. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Caterina. Atauz mentioned a number of 4 in June.
1537. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Caterina, Santa Croce and the Santa Maria Vittoriosa.
1539. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Croce.
1541. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Caterina, Santa Croce and the Santa Petronilla. Atauz mentioned a number of 4.
1542. Ubaldini mentioned the San Luigi.
1545. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Maria Maddalena, San Giovanni and the Santa Petronilla. Atauz mentioned a number of 4.
1550. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni, Santa Maria Maddalena and the Santa Barbara. Atauz mentioned a number of 4.
1552: Ubaldini mentioned the San Luigi. Atauz mentioned the S. Claudio, S. Michele Arcangelo, Santa maria Magdalena and the San Giovanni Battista.
1554: Ubaldini mentioned the San Luigi and the San Nicola.
1555. Ubaldini mentioned the San Nicola. Atauz mentioned that in the period 1555-1620 no galleys were build at in Malta.
1557. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Fede, San Giovanni and the San Filippo.
1558. Atauz mentioned a number of 5.
1559. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni and the San Filippo. Atauz mentioned a number of 5.
1560. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned for this year at least 7 of which apparently 3 were lost. Atauz mentioned a number of 5.
1562. Ubaldini mentioned the San Luigi.
1564. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned 5 regular galleys and 2 owned by the Grand Master. Atauz mentioned a number of 4.
1565. Ubaldini mentioned the Corona, San Giovanni and the San Giacomo. Atauz mentioned a number of 9 included the Magistral galley.
1566. Ubaldini mentioned the San Luigi and the San Nicola.
1567. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned for 15 July a battle with an Algerine squadron. The latter captured the San Giovanni and the Santa Anna and refloated the grounded Capitana, while the Santa Maria and the Patrona escaped safely. Atauz wrote that this happened in 1568.
1568. Ubaldini mentioned the Sant’Anna, San Giacomo, Santa Maria della Vittoria and the San Luigi. Atauz mentioned a number of 4 of which the Capitana, San Giovanni and Sant’Ana were captured by the Algerians while the Padrona or Santa Maria della Vittoria was the only survivor. Confusing enough Atauz wrote elsewehre that the 3 galleys were lost in the battle dated 15 July 1570.
1570. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni, Sant’Anna and the Santa Maria della Vittoria.
1571. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni and the San Pietro. R.C. Anderson mentioned for the end of September 3 galleys, 2 newly acquired at Messina and the survivor of the disaster of 1567. Atauz mentioned the Santa Maria della Vittoria, the S. Giovanni and the San Pietro.
1572. Ubaldini mentioned the San Pietro.
1573. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni. Atauz mentioned the number of 4.
1574. Ubaldini mentioned the San Pietro and San Paolo. R.C. Anderson mentioned for June 4 galleys.
1575. Atauz mentioned a number of 4.
1576. Atauz mentioned a number of 4.
1577. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned that the newly at Barcelona build galley San Paolo was captured by the Algerines before she could taken in to service. There were 3 more galleys in service. Atauz mentioned a number of 4.
1589. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned 4 galleys serving in the summer.
1580. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni.
1582. Ubaldini mentioned the San Pietro and the San Giacomo. Atauz mentioned the number of 6, 4 regular, one of the knight Guinucci and the magistral galley.
1583. Ubaldini mentioned San Giovanni, San Pietro and the San Giacomo. R.C. Anderson mentioned 4 galleys of which the Sam Giacomo and the San Giovanni were temporarily seized by Venice in August, released and arrived February 1584 at Malta. The other 2 galleys were the Capitana and the galley owned by the Grand Master.
1584. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giovanni and the San Giacomo. R.C. Anderson mentioned a total of 5 galleys. Atauz mentioned a number of 5.
1585. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Marta.
1586. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned at least 4 galleys.
1587. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned the Capitana, Santa Marta, Speranza, Vittoria and the Magistrale.
1588. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned a newly at Messina built Capitana and the Negrilia owned by the Grand Master. In December were 4 regular galleys.
1589. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned 4 regular galleys and 3 owned by private persons of which 2 by the Grand Master.
1590. Ubaldini mentioned the Sant’Anna.
1592. Ubaldini mentioned the Sant’Anna.
1594. Ubaldini mentioned none. R.C. Anderson mentioned a newly at Messina built San Placido and for that year a number of 5 total.
1595. Ubaldini mentioned the Sant’Anna, Santa Fede, Vittoria and Santa Croce. R.C. Anderson mentioned the Capitana, the San Fee, the S. Croco, Vittoria and the S. Placido.
1596. Ubaldini mentioned the Santa Fede, San Giovanni and Santa Croce.
1597. Ubaldini mentioned the San Filippo, Santa Croce and the Sant’Angelo.
1598. Ubaldini mentioned the San Placido, San Giovanni and the San Filippo. R.C. Anderson mentioned for that year a total of 5.
1599. Ubaldini mentioned the San Giorgio, San Gregorio and the Santa Fede.

Sources
R.C. Anderson. Naval wars in the Levant 1559-1853. Princeton, 1952.
Ayse Devrim Atauz. Trade, Piracy, and Naval Welfare in the Central Mediterranean: the Maritime History and Archaeology of Malta. 2004.
Ubaldino Mori Ubaldini. La Marine del Sovrano Militare Ordino de San Giovannni di Gerusalemme di Radi e di Malta. Romo, 1971, p. 566-595.