Pilottonen

Pilottonen is a term used to describe a group of Swedish war ships, specifically three-masted sailing ships, that were constructed during the mid-17th century by King Karl X Gustav's government. The term is derived from the Swedish word "pilot", meaning a person who steers and navigates a ship.

The pilottonen played a significant role in the naval affairs of Sweden during the Scanian War (1675-1679). These ships served as both escorts for convoys and as battle ships in their own right. Designed to counter the powerful Dutch fluyts, the Swedish and Finnish naval forces constructed the pilottonen as leaders in the Swedish Navy, incorporating improved gun armament, enhanced stability, and larger size compared to the latter's traditional cargo ships.

The first records of pilottonen date back to 1658, and between 1661-1669, a remarkable 13 ships of this type were constructed. While specific operational information is difficult to trace, studies by historians indicate the ships were mainly deployed around the Baltic Sea and were renowned for their numbers, flexibility, and strong cargo-carrying capacity.

Unfortunately, no pilottonen hulls have been found, as they have been lost to natural weathering. Nonetheless, the pilottonen are treated as significant relics in history because of their constructive design that dominated contact warfare of the period. They are still studied today as evidence to the felicitous evolution of naval architecture in their era. The pilottonen reconstructed historical skill and summer naval practices such as furcation private wars and control preventing.