Nau (Civ5)/Civilopedia

As the Portuguese extended their explorations and trading ventures further along the African coast and to the Far East, they needed a larger, sturdier ship capable of long voyages. The Nau, often referred to as a "carrack" or "Indiaman" by the English, evolved from the square-rigged cog widely used for commerce in the late Middle Ages. The design was perfected by Portuguese merchants in the late 1400s; the Nau came to be a three- or four-deck ocean-going vessel with three or four masts, with a broad beam stable in the high seas of the Atlantic, and capable of carrying provisions and cargo for a lengthy trip. It had a rounded stern and a high forecastle incorporated into the bow, the first ocean-going vessel with such. Its large storage holds meant that it could traverse great distances between landfalls, making it a mainstay in the Portuguese merchant fleet. The Nau would be supplanted by the Galleon on the ocean trade routes by the 1600s.