Before the middle of the 19th century, the incidence of piracy resulted in most cargo ships being armed, sometimes quite heavily, as in the case of the Manila galleons and East Indiamen.
Sebelum pertengahn abad ke-19, kasus-kasus pembajakan mengakibatkan kapal-kapal harus dipersenjatai, kadang dengan berat, seperti pada kasus Galleon Manila dan East Indiamen.