Piece of Eight, http://home.swbell.net/seacast/ships.html#ships: Shebec (Xebec): The Shebec was favoured among Barbary pirates for she was fast, stable and large. They could reach 200 tons and carried from 4 to 24 cannon. In addition she carried from 60 to 200 crewmen. The Shebec had a pronounced overhanging bow and stern, and three masts which were generally lateen-rigged. In addition to sails she was rowed.
The Chebec (1750-1786) http://www.hc-sa.ch/maquettes/details/Chebec_e.html: This 24-gun vessel was one of the finest sailing ships in all of Europe in the 17th Century. In itself, the Chebec conjures up vivid images of quick forays on the coast of Provence or of peaceful trading vessels taken by boarding, after the fashion of famous French corsairs of that time.
http://www.seagifts.com/seagifts/chebec.html: A highly maneuverable galley type warship with lateen sails, the Chebec was one of the best and most battle-worthy sailing vessels of the 17th century. The Chebecs became a name associated with attacks and exploits throughout the Mediteranean.
http://www.architektura-cg.de/Seite5.html: The xebec was, besides the galley, the most known ship type in the Mediterranean Sea. The xebec was recognized early by the North African corsairs as a speedy sailing ship. These ships had, according to E. Pâris, a length of 25 up to 35 meters and were armed with 16 to 24 guns. The crew consisted of about 300 to 450 men (2/3 of them were soldiers).
The Writings Of Thomas Jefferson Volume III: Reports And Opinions While Secretary Of State: Report 20: http://history1700s.about.com/homework/history1700s/library/mresource/metexts/jefferson/vol3/bltjreprts20.htm?iam=mt&terms=%2Bchebec: From these it results that they have usually had about nine chebecs, from ten to thirty-six guns, and four galleys, which have been reduced by losses to six chebecs and four galleys. They have a forty-gun frigate on the stocks, and expect two cruisers from the grand seignior. The character of their vessels is, that they are sharp built and swift, but so light as not to stand the broadside of a good frigate. Their guns are of different calibres, unskilfully pointed and worked. The vessels illy manoeuvred, but crowded with men, one third Turks, the rest Moors, of determined bravery, and resting their sole hopes on boarding. But two of these vessels belong to the government, the rest being private property. If they come out of the harbor together, they separate immediately in quest of prey; and it is said they were never known to act together in any instance. Nor do they come out at all, when they know there are vessels cruising for them. They perform three cruises a year, between the middle of April and November, when they unrig and lay up for the winter.http://www.hobbyworldinc.com/: The three masted Xebec with its lateen sails was used for centuries in the Mediterranean as a merchant ship because of its speed and shallow draught. It was not long before Corsairs, the pirates of the Mediteranean, decided on the Xebec as their vessel of choice for lighting fast attacks on heavier ladened merchant ships. With its fourteen cannons slug low in the waists, the Xebec would hole her prey just inchs above the waterline making escape impossible. Six culverins were mounted along the poop deck for close action or just in case the crew tried to mutiny. Oars were used when the wind failed, giving the Xebec the upper hand in attacking other vessels or fleeing the authorities.
http://www.boatserver.com/maquette/chebec.HTM The chebec was a ship with the dimensions of a galley, and the most typical sailing ship in the Mediterranean during the 17th and 18th centuries. Its rather obscure origin relates to the time and place of its appearance. In the beginning, the xebec had 30 or 40 oars to use in a lull, but later it fell to a third of this. The pricipal propulsion of a chebec is assumed to be three lateen sails on raked masts. It was a fast and handy ship, used in combat in shallow waters and equipped with many guns. In the 17th century, The chebec made its appearance in the Spanish and French fleets.
http://www.cossacks.com/english/cossacks/states_algiers_units_4.htm The xebec is the most famous type of Mediterranean ship. It was a 25-35 m (80-115 ft) long vessel, with an advanced ram stem and a deck reaching far beyond the poop. The underbody was exceptionally sharp. Pirates of Northern Africa regarded xebecs as the fastest sailing vessels. Xebecs were armed with 16-24 cannons and took on a crew of 300-450 members. These ships utilized 3 masts and sails for different strengths of wind. For instance, in case of favorable but weak wind, course (rectangular) sails were hoisted at the foremast and mainmast. In a crosswind, when course sails were ineffective, long Latin yards with fore-and-aft (trapezoid) sails were set. In case of gale-strength wind, they doused the long yards and set short ones with Latin (triangular) sails on all masts.
http://naturecoast.com/hobby/aerop.htm#INDISCRET Historical information about this ship is very scarce in spite of deep research work based on ancient prints, books of the time and visits to museums. Anyway, the ship was built in France at the request of a nobleman, A.L. de Rouille, inspired by the famous corsair xebecs dominating the North African coasts and raiding the French coasts with consequent destruction and death. The choice was the result of studies of the armed xebecs, some of them having even fought successfully against British ships. The practical results must have been satisfactory to the naval authorities of the time, as seven similar ships were built after her.
http://www.nauticalmuseum.com/ekthemata/109.htm It is thought to have originated in Algeria, and was used by corsairs of the Maghreb from the beginning of the 17th to the end of the 19th centuries. It proved so useful as a fast raider, despatch boat or even merchant ship that versions of it were adopted in other countries. The French called it mystic or mistic, in reference to its use as a despatch boat. The Greek equivalent was called mystiko. The three-masted lateen was the most typical rig of this kind of ship, but some 19th century chebecs had one or two square sails on the fore or main mast.
http://www.myeldo.com/maquette/maquette.asp?mode=1&shpid=SM014 In 1750, her Majesty Antoine Louise De Rouille of Jouy put into the site four vessels named “CHEBEC”. Two among them, “Le REQUIN” and “INDISCRET” weight 260 tonnages with an armament of 24 cannons, while the other two the “RUSE” and the “SERPENT” had only 150 tonnages with an armament of 18 cannons. The “CHEBEC” a name that was associated not only with attacks and exploits, was also very good battle windjammer. Here, it should be noted that it was on this type of vessel that the Captain Bavastro of Nice fought against two English vessels. With a length of 79 m and a width of 23 m, the French “CHEBEC” remained one of the best sailing vessels of Europe in the XVIII century. She had many similarities with other galleys, but the different lies in her sails, which proved efficient. The “CHEBEC” had great manoeuvrability, which gave her an advantage over other vessels, which were harder to control.
http://www.jps.net/rossw/seadog/xebec.htm Xebec: A small three-masted vessel of the 16th to 19th centuries used exclusively in the Mediterranean, similar in may respects to a polacre but with a distinctive hull, which added a pronounced overhanging at the bow and stern, and rarely larger than 200 tons in burthen. They were greatly favored by Mediterranean nations as corsairs, and for this purpose were built with a narrow floor to achieve a higher speed than their victims, but with a considerable beam in order to enable them to carry and extensive sail plan. When used as corsairs they carried a crew of 300-400 men and mounted up to twenty-four guns according to size.
http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/R7.HTM A xebec is a small, sharp-built three-masted vessel with lateen sails. They were used for coasting voyages in the Mediterranean and on the ocean coasts of Spain and Portugal. It differs from the felucca in possessing both square and lateen sails, the felucca having only lateen sails. The xebec was formerly much used by Algerian pirates.
http://www.historicships.com/TALLSHIPS/Amati/SciabeccoAM1427.htm Xebec Pirate Ship, 1753: This famous vessel with lateen sails derived from the Xebec used by the Barbarian pirates. Armed with 14 cannons of medium caliber and 6 culverins for action at close range. The Xebec was also used for coastal defense by the Spanish Navy to fight against pirates. Oars made traveling possible in case of no wind.
http://www.antikaparis.com/marina/marina4.htm Chebecs count among the finest sailing ships of 18th century. In 1750, the Count de Jouy put under construction four of these ships inspired by Barbary feluccas and called upon with this intention Majorican carpenters, most famous of the time. Since 1764, the operational startup of 4 new ships was decided. The " Fox ", the " Tempting One ", the " Monkey ", and the " Chameleon " all armed with 20 guns. They were used successfully by the Royal Navy against the Barbary Corsairs, then successfully by the First Empire of the French corsairs. Rapid and with shallow draught, Chebecs were quite as handy with the sail as with the oar and various types of rigs were adapted to them: Latin, or polacre (squaresails on the central mast). They carried an armament of 24 guns of 6 lbs. Length overall: 30 meters. Midship beam: 9 meters. Draught: 1.95 meters.