The barca-longa was a two or three-masted lugger found on the coasts of Spain and Portugal as well as more widely in the Mediterranean Sea. They were used in Spain and Portugal for fishing but were employed by the British Royal Navy in Mediterranean waters, for shore raids or as dispatch boats. In general, they were not in Royal Navy ownership. The Oxford English Dictionary's earliest reference is from 1681. Others are 18th-century.
The original article can be found at Barca-longa and the edit history here.