= The Snaikka (German: Schnigge) =
Besides the big barges, smaller ships were also used by the Hanseatic League for commercial naval trading. The Snaikka (from the German Schnigge, Schikke, Sniegge or Snegge) was one of those and can be traced back to the 10th century. It probably originated in Scandinavia. The Snaikka is a small, agile and quite fast sailing ship, which was used mainly near the shore and to control the ports and their approaches. In times of war they were used as outriggers and in reconnaissance missions. 
The Snaikka developed itself from an open sailboat with side rudder to an agile offshore sailor. It only had one mast and its hull was clinker built. The Snaikka could be rigged with a gaffelsail or with a for-aft rig and a staysail. Since the 15th century it was probably rigged with a spritsail. Initially, the Snaikka and the Schute were very similar. However, the Snaikka was developed towards a fast offshore sailer, while the Schute became a small transporter. Although the first Snaikkas could only carry 2 to 5 bales, the capacity could be enlarged to 30 to 40 bales. Some towns also supported the so-called 'Ratsschnigge' (council Snaikka) even during times of peace. The Snaikka represented a solid part of the hanseatic fleet mainly in the function of auxiliary ships.
Source: Günter Krause, Handelsschifffahrt der Hanse, 2010,  S. 146 ff.