An excellent acquisition, Fernando! As you stated, swords such as these did make it to sea. Contingents of soldiers were placed aboard the Treasure Fleets (for obvious reasons) and, in my opinion, to keep order in general. On English ships, it was the royal marines in charge of discipline and to discourage mutinies. In the case of Spanish and Portuguese ships, it was the common soldiers of the army. A shorter bladed sword such as this would have made a nice shipboard weapon.
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