Topic summary
Apilan
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Apilan and kota mara.
Apilan
Apilan (or ampilan) is the wooden gunshield found in Malay prahus where cannons are placed. It has a hole to place a long gun, and sometimes a swivel gun can be placed over the top of the apilan. An apilan is not permanent: it can be assembled, disassembled, and moved according to necessity. The crew of Malay prahu operated the long gun behind an apilan, which was usually situated at the bow of a prahu. This gun-shield was only put on when the ship went into action. Sunting apilan is the name given to two lelas or light guns standing on the gun-shield of a heavy gun.