A row galley was a term used in the United States for an armed watercraft that used oars rather than sails as a means of propulsion. During the age of sail, row galleys had the advantage of propulsion while sail boats might be stopped or running at slow speed because of lack of wind for their sails. While called galleys, they were based on different hull type than the Mediterranean galley, the term being used mainly due to the employment of oars.