It gets its name from an old coffered ceiling with a design like the hull of an upside-down ship.
Queen Catherine of Lancaster constructed the apartment in 1412, when her son John II of Castile was still a minor. The frieze is a piece of Mudejar plasterwork that has two inscriptions: the upper one has a Eucharistic prayer, while the lower one contains details on how the hall was built.
Originally known as the Ambassadors' Hall, it served as a waiting area for people hoping to meet royalty.
It was described as the most beautiful room in the Alcázar by travelers and chroniclers, and it was protected by "the most splendid armour of the palace," which was constructed of gilded and multicolored wood and looked a lot like the main chapel of the convent church of Santa Clara in Tordesillas.
The Patronato del Alcázar rebuilt the roof in 2000 using sketches created by Avrial 25 years before to its disappearance after it was destroyed by fire on March 6, 1862. Juan Givaja of Valladolid, assisted by a sizable team of artisans, produced the five-panel armouring, which had a five-panel, five-panel, shingled, with moamares files, and was made of cedar wood, in accordance with an architectural design by Merino de Cáceres.
Four kilograms of gold were used to gild the entire piece, which took several months' worth of careful work and meticulous attention from craftsmen and professionals. The ensemble's lower frieze is the only original component to have survived the fire.
The north façade of the Old Palace, today known as the Ajimeces Hall, may be seen on the south wall before the galley bay was added to it.
Henry II of Mercy, the first monarch of the Trastámara dynasty, a bastard branch of the house of Burgundy, and Henry III the Mourner, the latter's grandson, are each depicted in two stained-glass windows in the room. Additionally, it shows Henry II killing Peter the Cruel by shooting him in the head and Henry II's son dying after falling off a horse. The original Hernando de Vila miniatures, which are maintained in the Escorial Monastery, served as the inspiration for these stained-glass windows.