The legendary Columbus squadron. Caravel - the one that discovered the New World One of the three ships of Columbus's expedition

"Ninya" (Spanish: La Niña, "girl", "baby")- Christopher Columbus's favorite caravel, one of the three ships that took part in the first Spanish expedition to the shores of America in 1492.

Just like the other two Columbus's ships, And "Pinte", O "Ninye" very little is known. Almost all information is based only on guesses and assumptions. "Nina"- just a nickname for the ship, the real name of the sailboat "Santa Clara". "Ninya" the caravel was nicknamed, according to one version, on behalf of its owners, the Niño brothers from Moger, according to another version "baby" The sailors affectionately called the ship. However, in this case, both legends may be reliable.

By type of sailing rig "Nina" was a caravel, the smallest and most agile of the three Columbus's ships. Caravel- This is a small single-deck ship, usually having three masts and having good navigability. Caravels were mainly used during the Age of Great Geographical Discovery. Caravel "Nina" was built in 1475 in Spain. Length "Ninya" supposedly was 17.3 meters, beam 5.5 meters, draft 1.9 meters, displacement 101.2 tons. The crew size is 40 people.

Initially "Nina" carried only lateen (triangular) sails (caravella latina), but while stationed in the Canary Islands during Columbus's first expedition in 1492, straight sails were raised on her two masts (mainsail and foresail), and a slanting sail remained on the mizzen mast. Captain "Ninya" then there was Vicente Yáñez Pinzón. On October 12, 1492, Columbus's ships reached the Bahamas. In December 1492, the flagship ran aground on reefs off the coast of Haiti, named Hispaniola by Columbus, and sank. Therefore, at the beginning of 1493 "Nina" became the main ship of the expedition. In the spring of 1493 "Nina" returned to Spain, encountering a severe storm off the Azores on the way back.

Already in the fall of 1493, Spain equipped a new expedition to uncharted shores, consisting of 17 ships, among which was the Niña caravel. Second expedition Columba came out much less successful than the first. The fort in Haiti, founded by the first expedition, was burned and looted by local residents who in every possible way resisted the invasion of strangers into their lands. Very little gold, so expected in Spain, was also found. And in 1495, Columbus’s ships headed back to Europe, but even here the sailors suffered misfortune: the ships were caught in a hurricane, in which only one "Ninye", which returned to Spain in 1496. In 1498-1499, the Niña caravel sailed to the shores of Haiti for the third time, this time not as part of the Columbus expedition, but independently. In 1501 "Nina" made a trip to the Pearl Coast. And nothing more is known about the further fate of the legendary sailing ship.

Replica

In 1988 in Brazil, an American engineer John Patrick Sarsfield began construction of a replica caravel "Nina" upon request Columbus Foundation. In 1990, Sarsfield died in a car accident, and construction was continued by Jonathon Morton Nance, a British naval historian. Since there is no exact description "Ninya", then the craftsmen built just a typical caravel of the 15th century, using the technologies of that time. Replica "Ninya" built from Brazilian wood. The builders used only 15th-century tools in their work: chisels, axes, hand saws. New "Nina" has four masts, two of which have straight sails, and two have lateen sails.

Replica in 1992 "Nina" took part in the filming of the film "1492: Conquest of Paradise" in Costa Rica.

Now "Nina" throughout the year it travels between ports in North America, where anyone can visit the ship. Since 1991 "Nina" visited more than 425 ports North America. The ship tours not only along the coast, but also along inland rivers such as the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio and is essentially a floating maritime museum.

Santa Maria (Spanish: Santa María, Holy Mary)- one of the most famous ships in the world, about which, however, practically nothing is known, one of three ships of Christopher Columbus, on which America was discovered in 1492.

There are more guesses and legends around this sailboat than reliable facts. No images saved "Santa Maria", there are no drawings or diagrams. Therefore, even regarding the type of this vessel, opinions differ. More often "Santa Maria", like the other two Columbus ships and "Pint", called a caravel. Others consider her a karakka. Columbus himself in his diaries called his flagship "nao". Columbus lamented the poor maneuverability of the flagship ship, which, however, withstood storms well. "Santa Maria" was built in Galicia (a historical region in northwestern Spain), so Columbus often calls the ship “La Gallega” (“The Galician”) in his notes. The crew of the sailing ship called the ship “Marigalante” (“Gallant Mary”). Barlotome de Las Casas, a Spanish Dominican priest, historian, editor of Columbus's ship's journal and author of The Three Indies, called "Santa Maria"“La Capitana” (“flagship”, Spanish) or “La Nao” (“nave” - ship, vessel, sailboat, Spanish; type of sailing vessel). Columbus himself commanded the ship, the owner "Santa Maria" there was a Spaniard, Juan de la Cosa, who also acted as navigator.

"Santa Maria" was a three-masted single-deck ship, with a length, according to various sources, from 23 to 25 meters, a width of 6.7 meters and a displacement of 237 tons. Data about the ship’s crew also vary; according to one version, the crew consisted of 40 people, according to another there were as many as 90.

At the bow and stern "Santa Maria" there were high superstructures. The superstructure in the stern had two tiers: “tolda” - the lower tier for storing various property; in the upper tier (“todilje”) there was a captain’s cabin. In the middle part of the deck there was a galley, a well for a pump, with the help of which water was pumped out of the hold, and a platform for a compass was also installed there. In fresh weather, the galley was flooded with waves, so the team could only taste hot food during relative calm. The sailors were housed in the bow superstructure and holds. There was no talk of any beds then; even hanging bunks appeared in sea life much later, and the discoverers of America then simply slept wherever they had to, right on the boards, and often without undressing.

Three masts "Santa Maria" carried 4 main sails: straight sails on the main and foremasts, a slanting mizzen on the mizzen mast and a straight blind on the blind yard under the bowsprit. The mainsail on such ships was usually decorated with emblems or designs. According to other sources, there were six sails: on the foremast and main mast above the main sails there were also trapezoidal topsails.

"Santa Maria" was armed with four 20-pounder, six 12-pounder and eight 6-pounder guns. In addition, the ship had long-range wooden cannons (pasvolants), springals - small-caliber cannons and more than a hundred muskets.

In December 1492, Columbus's expedition approached the shores of Haiti, which Columbus christened Hispaniola. It was there that the ship "Santa Maria" perished, running aground. The ship's parts and wreckage were used to build a fort on Hispaniola, where 39 Spaniards settled, creating a colony. The fort was given the name La Navidad (Spanish: La Navidad - Christmas), so the Santa Maria crashed on Christmas Day. Now on the site of this settlement is the city of Môle Saint-Nicolas (French: Môle Saint-Nicolas).

In 1968, archaeologist Adolf Keffer discovered shipwrecks off the island of Haiti, presumably dating back to the 14th-15th centuries. But reliable information about what it is "Santa Maria", No.

In 1892, the first replica of a sailing ship was built in Spain to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America. "Santa Maria". For the construction of the sailing ship, a special commission was created, which carefully studied all the materials about Columbus’s expeditions and his ships. The commission included people such as Cesario Duro (shipbuilder, chairman of the commission) and Rafael Monleon (marine painter, archaeologist, shipbuilder). In 1893 new "Santa Maria" with a crew of 40 people crossed the Atlantic Ocean and was exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair along with replicas of two others ships of Columbus: and "Pint".

Several replicas were also built in the 20th century "Santa Maria". The first was launched in 1929 from the Cadiz shipyard according to the design of Julio Guillen. This replica existed until 1945 and was demonstrated in Seville.

In 1951 and 1965, 2 more replicas were built "Santa Maria" for filming in films. The 1951 replica has survived to this day and now stands in Barcelona. These copies of the famous ship do not have historical accuracy.

"Niña", "Pint", "Santa Maria " - the names of the legendary ships of Christopher Columbus's first expedition to the shores of the New World have become firmly entrenched in history and are included in all encyclopedias and school geography textbooks.

After the political and economic issues of organizing an overseas expedition had been resolved (on April 17, 1492, the highest go-ahead was finally given and funds were found), the time had come to equip the ships and look for a crew.

So, first of all - the courts. What ships could withstand ocean voyages? How many of them are necessary and sufficient? One ship was clearly not enough for such a dangerous and long voyage - the risk was too great. Secondly, one ship cannot bring a large amount of “boot” - gold, silver, spices, silks, incense and other things (which Columbus and his creditors primarily counted on) to cover expenses and recoup the enterprise. Let us remember that Columbus was going to “discover” Japan and China, and not America at all. Two ships are better. Four is unreasonably expensive. But three is just right. And every good thing from Chipangu And Chinas, (Japan and China) will have something to bring back, and the probabilistic resistance to return is higher than on two ships. Of all the possible types of ships for the voyage, Columbus chose caravels.

What is a caravel

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Origin of the name "caravel"

caravel – lat. / caravela - port . / carabela - hisp ./ caravella - it ./

It can be assumed that the wordcaravelahas a Latin base and is formed from two roots, wherevelameans sail, and cara - Expensive. Moreover, both in Latin and Italian. That is, it turns out expensive sailboat, valuable sailboat(Or something like that).

By the way, our word ship was borrowed precisely from the word caravel

See for yourself: / his. / carabela = ship

Typical caravel design

Light single-deck vessel. Displacement 50-100 tons, length 15-25 meters, lateen sails on slanting yards grotto-masts and mizzen-masts allowed ships to sail steeply into the wind. Only foresail- the mast, as a rule, carried a straight sail. The ship's hull had a keel length to width ratio of approximately 3:1, which gave good stability in the open sea. The caravels did not have a special place for artillery, so they were not used in military affairs. All weapons are several medium and small cannons in the aft superstructure and on the forecastle.

What speed did the caravels develop?

Caravels allowed a maximum speed of 12-14 knots (1 knot = 1 mph; 1 nautical mile ~ 1800 meters) or approximately 20 km/h in land measurement. Thus, with a favorable wind, a caravel could cover 200-300 km in a day.

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The distance from the Canary Islands to the Bahamas is just over six thousand kilometers. Traveled by Columbus in 36 days. Thus, on average, Columbus’s caravels covered a distance of ~180 km per day.

Seaworthiness of the caravel

Caravels had 2-3 (sometimes 4) masts, structures fore- And grotto- masts made it possible to change slanting lateen sails to straight lines and vice versa. ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> When steep close-hauled, (that is, almost a headwind) and while exploring the coast they maneuvered with lateen sails. With a tailwind on the open sea, straight sails gave greater acceleration. Caravels could come close to the shore, and at the same time feel confident in the open sea. Thanks to all these qualities, it was caravels that became the main ships of sea expeditions at the initial stage of the Age of Great Geographical Discovery. After all, it was on caravels that Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan made their famous breakthroughs into the unknown.

caravel

Caravels appeared in the 12th century and lasted until about the mid-16th century, when they were replaced by more advanced types of ships. And the caravel itself, after changing the equipment, replacing triangular sails with trapezoidal ones, and also changing the shape of the hull, was transformed into schooner.

It is known for certain that not a single drawing or drawing of at least one of the ships of Columbus’s first expedition has survived. And no one knows what “Nina”, “Pinta” and “Santa Maria” actually looked like. Researchers have tried to reconstruct their appearance and design from indirect evidence and verbal descriptions. Therefore, everything you read below is speculative descriptions of ships, autumn 1492.

"Santa Maria" - the flagship ship of the Columbus expedition

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The flagship ship of Christopher Columbus's flotilla. Strictly speaking, the Santa Maria was not a caravel. It was a three-masted karakka(or in Spanish style nao)- a type of cargo ship, approximately 22-25 meters long, 7-8 meters wide, with a displacement of about 120 tons. This single-deck ship could carry up to 40 crew and passengers. The sailing rig of the Santa Maria consisted of five straight sails and a slanting sail on a mizzen mast. The depth of the hold is about 3 meters. In the aft part there was a two-tier superstructure with cabins for management and storage rooms for everything necessary, on the forecastle there was a triangular platform and possibly another superstructure. The Santa Maria's armament consisted of several different-caliber cannons that fired stone cannonballs. ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)">
It is known that the Santa Maria crashed on Christmas Day 1492 off the coast of Haiti. The wreck of the ship was used to build a fortified settlement, founded in this place on January 6, 1493. Columbus named the settlement simply “La Navidad” - “Christmas”.

TO ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> As you already know, not a single authentic image of the ships of Columbus’s first expedition has survived. However, in 1892, in preparation for the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage, a supposed replica of the Santa Maria was built. In the 20th century, a number of life-size models and floating replicas of the Santa Maria were made, some of them being of the “nao” type, and some made as caravels. Columbus himself in his journal spoke of the Santa Maria as both a carrack and a caravel. Obviously, there was no strict boundary between the carrack and the caravel.

What did the Pinta caravel look like?

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The least details are known about the Pinta, the second largest ship in the flotilla. Most likely, it was a typical caravel of medium size and parameters, with a displacement of 70-90 tons, could carry one straight sail on the foremast and main mast, and a slant on the mizzen.

What was it like?caravel "Nina"

The real name of this ship was "Santa Clara", and "Niña" was just a nickname for the caravel, either from the Spanish word for "baby" or from the name of the owner, Juan Niño. ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> About this caravel we have reached some descriptive information that is floating around on the Internet, and which should be treated like any unconfirmed information. So: according to some information, the length of the vessel is 17 meters, width - 5.5 meters, draft about 2 meters, displacement - 100 tons, crew 40 people; according to other sources, the Niña had a displacement of 40-60 tons, all 3 masts had oblique sails. During the expedition, Columbus made a stop in the Canary Islands to carry out repair work on the Pinta, and at that time the oblique sails on the Niña were replaced with the same straight ones as on the Pinta.

« Niña“- “Santa Clara” also took part in Columbus’s second expedition and then went there again, in 1499 to the island of Haiti on her own, as a private person. According to everyone, it is Columbus's favorite ship.

Marine terms used in the text:

Latin sail

The shape is a right triangle. ", BGCOLOR, "#ffffff", FONTCOLOR, "#333333", BORDERCOLOR, "Silver", WIDTH, "100%", FADEIN, 100, FADEOUT, 100)"> The luff (hypotenuse) is attached to an inclined yard, the front or lower end of which reaches the deck. In the Middle Ages, the lateen sail became widespread due to the ability of a ship with such a sail to sail very steeply to the wind. Moreover, the driving force in this case was not the wind itself, but wing lift, like an airplane, only the wing, that is, the sail, was located not horizontally, but vertically.

Karakka = nao- just a large sailing ship, larger than a caravel. The front sails are straight, the rear sails are oblique.

Foremast- the first mast from the bow of the ship.

Mainmast- the second mast from the bow of the ship.

Mizzen mast– rear mast on 3-4 mast ships with an oblique sail for maneuvers.

Displacement – the amount of water displaced by a floating vessel.

Tank- part of the upper deck from the bow to the first mast.

Beidewind– a course at which the angle between the direction of the wind and the direction of movement of the vessel is less than 90°. The thrust of a sail when close-hauled is entirely determined by the “lifting force”.

Skatorina– any edge of the sail.

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Schooner Schooner - a type of sailing ship that has at least two masts and slanting sails on all masts. Has many varieties. It was the main ship of pirates of the Caribbean and the American coast in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Travelers of the Age of Great Geographical Discovery

Russian travelers and pioneers

“Columbus discovered America, he was a great sailor,” as one song says... However, before setting sail, the famous navigator spent many years looking for funding for his venture. And although many nobles of that time liked Christopher Columbus’s project, they were in no hurry to allocate money for its implementation. However, the future discoverer was an assertive man, and nevertheless collected the necessary funds and equipped three ships, each of which has its own amazing history.

Christopher Columbus

Before learning about the ships on which Columbus made his legendary journey, it is worth remembering the greatest navigator himself.

Christopher Columbus was born in 1451. Scientists argue especially hotly about his nationality. Christopher himself is considered a Spanish navigator, since the Spaniards equipped his expedition. However, different sources call him an Italian, a Catalan, and even a Jew who converted to Christianity.

In any case, Columbus was an extraordinary person, which gave him the opportunity to receive a decent education at the university of the Italian city of Pavia. After studying, Christopher began to swim often. Most often he participated in sea trade expeditions. Perhaps it was precisely because of his passion for sea travel that at the age of nineteen, Columbus married the daughter of the famous navigator Dona Felipe de Palestrello.

When the future discoverer of America turned twenty-three, he began to actively correspond with the famous Florentine scientist Paolo Toscanelli, who gave him the idea of ​​traveling to India across the Atlantic Ocean.

Having carried out his own calculations, Christopher Columbus was convinced that his pen pal was right. Therefore, in the coming years, he presented the travel project to the wealthiest people in Genoa. But they did not appreciate it and refused to finance it.

Disappointed in his compatriots, Columbus offers to organize an expedition and then to the nobles and clergy of Spain. However, years passed, and no one allocated funds for the Columbus project. In despair, the navigator even turned to the British king, but all in vain. And just when he was about to move to France and try his luck there, Queen Isabella of Spain undertook to finance the expedition.

Columbus's voyages

In total he made four voyages from Europe to America. All of them were carried out in the period from 1492 to 1504.

During Columbus's first expedition, about a hundred people went with him on three ships. In total, the round trip took about seven and a half months. During this expedition, navigators discovered the islands of Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas in the Caribbean Sea. For many years, everyone called the lands discovered by Columbus the Western Indies. It is noteworthy that some researchers argue that the goal of Columbus's expedition was not India, but Japan.

Over time, due to various disputes, the open lands were no longer the property of the Spanish crown alone and were divided among European maritime powers.

While Christopher was on his third expedition, Vasco da Gama discovered the real route to India, thereby putting the mark of a deceiver on Columbus's reputation. After this, the navigator himself was sent home in shackles and wanted to be tried, but the Spanish rich, who had already made good money on open lands, defended Columbus and achieved his release.

Trying to prove that he was right, the navigator undertook a fourth expedition, during which he finally reached the very continent of America.

In the latter he tried to return the title of nobility granted to him by the crowned couple of Spanish monarchs, as well as privileges on open lands. However, he never managed to do this. After his death, the discoverer's remains were reburied several times, so that there are now several possible graves of Christopher Columbus.

Three ships of Columbus (carracks and caravels)

When Christopher Columbus finally secured funding for his first expedition, he began preparing ships.

First of all, it was necessary to decide on the quantity. Since his enterprise was quite risky, it was expensive to equip a large flotilla. At the same time, one or two ships is too few. Therefore, it was decided to equip three units. What were the names of Columbus's ships? The main one is the carrack "Santa Maria", and two caravels: "Nina" and "Pinta".

Karakka and caravel - what are they?

Christopher Columbus's ship "Santa Maria" was a carrack type. This was the name given to sailing ships with 3-4 masts, common in the 15th-16th centuries. It is noteworthy that in Europe they were the largest at that time. As a rule, such ships could easily accommodate from five hundred to one and a half thousand people. Considering that the entire crew of Columbus's three ships was one hundred people, the Santa Maria was probably a small carrack.

Columbus's other ships (their names were "Nina" and "Pinta") were caravels. These are 2-3 mast ships, common in the same years. Unlike the karakkas, they were less suitable for long expeditions. At the same time, they were distinguished by greater maneuverability, and were also light and cheap, so they soon undeservedly replaced the bulky carracks.

Columbus's ship Santa Maria

Like the portrait of the great navigator, the appearance of his first three ships has not been preserved. The description of Columbus's ships, as well as their drawings, are rather approximate and compiled from the words of surviving eyewitnesses many years later or according to the assumptions of scientists.

As is commonly believed, the Santa Maria was a small single-deck carrack with three masts. It is assumed that the length of the ship was up to 25 m, and the width was up to 8 m. Its displacement was about 1200 tons. The ship's hold was 3 m deep, and on the deck there was a two-tier extension where cabins and storage rooms were located. There was a triangular platform on the tank.

"Santa Maria" (Columbus's ship) was equipped with several cannons of different calibers, designed to fire stone cannonballs. It is noteworthy that in his notes the navigator periodically called his flagship either a carrack or a caravel. Columbus's flagship belonged to Juan de la Cosa, who was also its captain.

The fate of "Santa Maria"

Unfortunately, the Santa Maria was not destined to return home to Spain, since back in December 1492, during its first voyage, Columbus's flagship landed on reefs near Haiti. Realizing that it was impossible to save the Santa Maria, Christopher ordered everything that could be of value to be taken from her and transferred to the caravels. It was decided to dismantle the ship itself for building materials, from which Fort “Christmas” (“La Navidad”) was later built on the same island.

"Nina"

According to the discoverer's contemporaries, the Niña (Columbus's ship) was the favorite ship of the discoverer of new lands. During all his travels, he covered over forty-five thousand kilometers on it. After the death of the Santa Maria, it was she who became Columbus's flagship.

The real name of this ship was "Santa Clara", but the expedition members affectionately called her "baby", which sounds like "niña" in Spanish. The owner of this ship was Juan Niño. But on Columbus's first voyage, the captain of the Niña was Vicente Yáñez Pinzón.

According to scientists, the size of "Santa Clara" was about 17 m in length and 5.5 m in width. It is also believed that the Niña had three masts. According to the ship's log, initially this caravel had oblique sails, and after being in the Canary Islands they were replaced with straight ones.

Initially, there were just over twenty crew members on the ship, but after the death of the Santa Maria, their number increased. Interestingly, it was on it that sailors first began to sleep in hammocks, having adopted this tradition from the Indians.

The fate of "Nina"

Having safely returned to Spain after Columbus's first expedition, the Niña also took part in Christopher's second voyage to the shores of America. During the infamous hurricane of 1495, the Santa Clara was the only ship to survive.

Between 1496 and 1498, the favorite ship of the discoverer of America was captured by pirates, but thanks to the courage of her captain, she was freed and set off on Columbus's third voyage.

After 1501 there is no information about it, probably the caravel sank during one of the campaigns.

"Pint"

Accurate data on the appearance and technical characteristics of this ship have not been preserved in history.

It is only known that Columbus’s ship “Pinta” was the largest caravel in the first expedition. However, for unknown reasons, after the death of “Santa Maria”, the leader of the voyage did not choose her as the flagship. Most likely, it was the owner and captain of the ship, Martin Alonso Pinzon. Indeed, during the journey, he repeatedly challenged Columbus’ decisions. Probably, the great navigator feared a riot and therefore chose a ship where Martin’s brother, the more flexible Vicente, was the captain.

It is noteworthy that it was the sailor from the Pinta who was the first to see the land of the New World.

It is known that the ships returned home separately. Moreover, the captain of the Pinta did his best to ensure that his ship arrived first in Spain, hoping to convey the good news himself. But I was only a couple of hours late because of the storm.

The fate of "Pinta"

It is unknown what the fate of the Pinta ship was after Columbus's voyage. There is evidence that after returning, the ship's captain was received rather coldly at home. And due to health problems received during the expedition, he died a few months later. Probably, the ship was either sold and changed its name, or died during the next voyage.

Columbus's other ships

If during the first expedition Columbus's flotilla consisted of only three small ships, then in the second there were seventeen of them, in the third - six, and in the fourth - only four. This was due to the loss of confidence in Christopher Columbus. Ironically, just a few decades later, Columbus would become one of Spain's greatest heroes.

The names of most of these ships have not been preserved. It is only known that the flagship in the second expedition was a ship called “Maria Galante”, and in the fourth - “La Capitana”.

After so many years, after it was found out which ships Columbus took on his first voyage and discovered a new world for all mankind, it becomes surprising how they were able to sail there at all. After all, the Spanish crown had more powerful and voluminous ships at its disposal, but their owners did not want to risk them. The good news is that the owners of “Santa Maria”, “Santa Clara” (“Niña”), and also “Pinta” turned out to be different and risked going on Columbus’s expedition. It is thanks to this that they forever entered world history, as did the islands and two new continents they discovered.

Christopher Columbus (October 31, 1451 – May 20, 1506) was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonist who completed four voyages throughout the Atlantic Ocean under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. He led the first European expeditions to the Caribbean and Central and South America, marking the beginning of the permanent European colonization of the Americas. Columbus discovered a viable sailing route to America, a continent then unknown to the Old World, but at the time he thought he had discovered a route to the Far East.

Christopher Columbus discovered America, but the ships of Christopher Columbus definitely deserve recognition. In an era when ships were the single fastest mode of transportation to travel around the world, Christopher Columbus's ships completely changed the entire concept on a ship. In the 15th century, when Christopher Columbus began his journey from Spain, he received the very important support of three ships and their crews, which are now known as the ships of Christopher Columbus. Thanks to this support, Christopher Columbus was finally able to discover America and put the existence of a very important nation on the world map.

Search for financing and fleet

In 1485, Columbus presented his plans to the Portuguese King John II. He proposed that the king equip three strong ships and give Columbus one year to sail to the Atlantic, find a western route to the East and return. Columbus also demanded that he be appointed "Grand Admiral of the Ocean", governor of all lands he discovered, and would receive one-tenth of all revenues from those lands. The king presented Columbus's proposal to his experts, who rejected it. They all agreed that Columbus's estimate of 3,860 km was actually too low.

In 1488, Columbus again appealed to the Portuguese authorities, resulting in John II again inviting him to an audience. This meeting also turned out to be unsuccessful, partly because Bartolomeo Dias soon returned to Portugal with news of a successful circumnavigation of the southern tip of Africa (near the Cape of Good Hope). With the eastern sea route to Asia open, King John was apparently no longer interested in Columbus's far-fetched project.

Columbus traveled from Portugal to Genoa and Venice, but received no support. He also sent his brother Bartholomew to Henry VII in England to see if the English crown could sponsor his expedition, but was also unsuccessful.

Columbus sought an audience with the monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, who united several kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula by marrying and ruling together. On May 1, 1486, having received permission, Columbus presented his plans to Queen Isabella, who in turn submitted them to the committee. A year later, scientists in Spain, like their colleagues in Portugal, responded that Columbus had greatly underestimated the distance to Asia. They declared the idea impractical.

However, to prevent Columbus from taking his ideas elsewhere and perhaps keeping his options open, the Catholic Monarchs gave him an annual allowance of 12,000 maraveds and in 1489 provided him with a letter ordering all cities and towns under their rule to provide him with food and lodging for free.

Agreement with the Spanish Crown

After constant lobbying at the Spanish court and two years of negotiations, he finally succeeded in January 1492. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella promised Columbus that, if successful, he would be promoted to admiral and appointed governor of all new lands to which he could lay claim. He had the right to appoint three people, from whom the sovereigns would choose one, to any post in the new lands. He would be entitled to 10 percent of all revenues from the new lands in perpetuity. In addition, he will also have the opportunity to receive one-eighth of the profits in any enterprise in the new lands.

Columbus was later arrested in 1500 and dismissed from office. He and his sons, Diego and Fernando, then pursued a lengthy series of legal cases against the Castilian crown, known as pleitos colombinos, arguing that the crown had violated its treaty obligations to Columbus and his heirs. The Columbus family had some success in their first trial, as the 1511 decision confirmed Diego's position as viceroy but reduced his powers. Diego resumed the trial in 1512, which continued until 1536, with further disputes continuing until 1790.

Between 1492 and 1503 Columbus made four voyages between Spain and the Americas, each financed by the Crown of Castile. On his first voyage he discovered America and magnetic declination. The voyages marked the beginning of European exploration and colonization of the American continents, and are thus of great importance in Western history. On October 12, 1492, Columbus landed at Guanghani, the name given by the natives to the island that Columbus named San Salvador during the discovery of America.

Christopher Columbus's ships

Santa Maria, Niña and Pinta were three ships of Christopher Columbus that gained enormous popularity and recognition in modern times, not only because they helped Christopher Columbus learn about an unknown nation, but also because they gave water transport a new sense of achievement goals and modernization, especially today when water transport is not as popular as before.

Of Christopher Columbus's three ships, the Santa Maria was the flagship of the carrack. The cargo ship weighs about 200 tons and is about 18 meters long, with a keel length of 12 meters, a beam of 6 meters and a draft of 2 meters. The Santa Maria's crew consisted of about 40 people. The original name of the Santa Maria was La Gallega, in reference to the place where the ship was built, but Christopher Columbus changed the name of the ship to Santa Maria.

In terms of rigging, the Santa Maria had three main masts with sails. These masts were known in those days as main, fore and miszenmasts. Although this ship had these positive attributes, the main negative attribute of this ship was that its construction did not allow the Santa Maria to sail in shallow waters and near coral reefs, which created an obstacle for the ship. However, two other ships, Niña and Pinta, solved this shortcoming that the flagship of Christopher Columbus's ships had and helped the adventurer successfully complete his journey.

Columbus's other expeditions were smaller caravels of the Santa Clara type - La Niña ("The Girl") and La Pinta ("The Boy"). All of these ships were second-hand and were not intended for reconnaissance. The Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria were modestly sized merchant ships, comparable in size to modern cruise ships. Precise measurements of the length and width of the three ships have not survived, but estimates of their carrying capacity can be inferred from contemporary anecdotes recorded by one or more of Columbus's crew, as well as from contemporary Spanish and Portuguese shipwreck remains from the late 15th and early 16th centuries, which comparable in size to Santa Maria.

The ships, built in Europe in the fifteenth century, were designed to sail along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus's smaller ships were considered risky on the open ocean. This made it difficult to recruit crew members, so a small number of prisoners were offered lighter sentences if they went with Columbus.

Columbus took command of Santa Maria, Martin Alonso Pinzon of La Pinta, and his brothers Francis Martin and Vicente Yanez of La Niña. The entire company on three ships numbered 90 people (Santa Maria - 40, La Nina - 24, La Pinta - 26), although some historians report about 120 people. On October 12, 1492, Rodrigo de Trian, a sailor on watch on the Pinta, was the first to see the New World and shouted “Earth!”

Niña and Pinta were caravels. Caravel ships were designed just to overcome the disadvantage of being in the shallow waters and coral reefs that ships like the Santa Maria encountered, and they were lightweight and easy to maneuver around. Of all three of Christopher Columbus's ships, the Pinta was the fastest, reaching a top speed of about 8 knots per day (about 200 miles), while the Santa Maria was the slowest due to her large size.

In terms of dimensions, Niña weighed about 50-60 tons and measured about 15 meters in length, 12 meters in keel, 4.85 meters in beam and 2.07 meters in draft. The pint weighed about 60-70 tons and measured about 17 meters in length, 13 meters in keel, 5.36 meters in beam and 2.31 meters in draft.

In today's times, when air travel has become the norm and walking on the moon has become commonplace, the successful adventure of Christopher Columbus's ships is a piece of history that not only every sailor, but every person anywhere in the world should know.