PINQUE génoise (pink/pinco) generally refers to a small- to medium-sized merchant sailing vessel operating primarily in the Mediterranean. It was characterized by a relatively flat bottom, a broad hull, comparatively shallow draft, and a high, narrowing stern. The term was very likely borrowed in the seventeenth century from the Dutch word pink.
These vessels were usually three-masted and primarily rigged with lateen sails; in bad weather, however, they could sometimes temporarily adopt a square-sail arrangement or carry some square sails, such as a square sail set only on the mainmast, to improve windward ability and handling.
The designation “Genoese” emphasizes its connection with the Genoese-Ligurian maritime world, although in archival or registry records the same type of vessel might also be described by more generalized terms such as Barque.
On many trade routes, pinques were used for the transport of bulk liquid cargoes, especially olive oil. Many vessels of this kind could carry between 200 and 300 tons and often required a crowded crew to manage both navigation and cargo handling.
This is also supported by a number of surviving contemporary paintings, in which such vessels are shown laden with large quantities of barrels. In conditions shaped by war and privateering, some pinques also carried guns or served as armed merchant platforms associated with privateering or convoy escort. Historical records and archaeological evidence indicate that such vessels were at times equipped with two to six small-caliber cannon.
