The Crommesteven or cromsteven, often as crompster, cromster or crumster (from crom = bent, concave; steven = stem)[1] was a type of small warship used by the Dutch Republic and later by the British fleets during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.[2] It was designed for work inshore on the shoal Netherlands coast and was a ketch, spritsail rigged on the main, and lateen on the small mizzen. As a class of vessel, it was represented in England by the hoy. When queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, her navy was reported to consist of 31 great ships, including galleons and crompsters, though crommestevens were considerably smaller than galleons.[3]
For its size, it was heavily armed and capable of influencing events ashore, in which respect it played a part in the Spanish Armada campaign of 1588.
Sources
^Robert Gardiner, Brian Lavery: The Line of Battle: The Sailing Warship 1650-1840, Conway Maritime 2004. ISBN0-85177-954-9. p.67
^L. E. Harris: The Two Netherlanders Humphtey Bradlay and Cornelis Drebbel. Brill Archive, p.96
^Corbett, Julian Stafford: The successors of Drake, London : Longmans, Green 1900. p.411
