Full-rigged pinnace

The word pinnace, and similar words in many languages (as far afield as Indonesia, where the boat "pinisi" took its name from the Dutch pinas[1]), came ultimately from the Spanish pinaza c. 1240, from pino (pine tree), from the wood of which the ships were constructed.

Although primarily sailing vessels, many pinnaces carried sweeps for moving in calms or around harbors.

In 2009 the wreck of an Elizabethan English pinnace with a set of twelve matched cannon was discovered, the first of its type for the time.

Vessels at that time typically carried a mixture of unmatched cannon using disparate ammunition.

The matched armament is considered revolutionary, and a contributing factor to the deadly reputation of the English naval artillery.