Education, History
Columbus ships: names, description. The Columbus ship "Santa Maria". The ship of Christopher Columbus "Ninja"
"Columbus discovered America, the great was a sailor" - as they say in one song ... However, before going on a voyage, the famous seafarer for many years was looking for funding for his venture. Although many of the princes of that time, the Christopher Columbus project was to their liking, they did not hurry to allocate money for its implementation. However, the future pioneer was a man of assertiveness, and yet he collected the necessary means, 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 trip, it is worth remembering the greatest seafarer.
Born Christopher Columbus in 1451 in the Genoa Republic. On his nationality, scientists are particularly ardent. Christopher himself is considered a Spanish navigator, as the Spaniards equipped his expedition. However, various sources call him Italian, Catalan and even a Jew who accepted Christianity.
In any case, Columbus was an outstanding man, which gave him the opportunity to get a decent education at the University of the Italian city of Pavia. After studying, Christopher often began to swim. Most often he participated in marine trade expeditions. Perhaps it was because of his fascination with sea voyages at the age of nineteen that Columbus married the daughter of the famous seafarer Donje Felipe de Palestrello.
When the future discoverer of America turned twenty-three, he began to conduct an active correspondence with the famous Florentine scholar Paolo Toscanelli, who suggested to him the idea of traveling to India across the Atlantic Ocean.
After making his own calculations, Christopher Columbus was convinced of the correctness of his friend by correspondence. Therefore, in the coming years he presented a travel project to the wealthiest people of Genoa. But they did not appreciate it and refused to finance it.
Disappointed in his countrymen, Columbus proposes to organize an expedition to the King of Portugal, and after the princes and clergymen of Spain. However, the years went by, and no one allocated funds for the Columbus project. In desperation the navigator addressed even to the British king, but all is vain. And already when he was going to move to France and try his luck there, the Queen of Spain Isabella undertook to finance the expedition.
Columbus Travels
In total, the great navigator made four voyages from Europe to America. All of them were implemented in the period from 1492 to 1504.
During the first Columbus expedition, about a hundred people went with him on three ships. In total, the trip back and forth took about seven and a half months. During this expedition, the seafarers discovered the islands of Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas in the Caribbean Sea. The lands discovered by Columbus were still called Western India for many years. It is noteworthy that some researchers argue that the goal of the Columbus expedition was not India, but Japan.
Over time, due to various disputes, the open lands ceased to be the property of only the Spanish crown and were divided between European maritime powers.
While Christopher was on the third expedition, Vasco da Gama opened the real path to India, thereby putting the stigma on the reputation of Columbus. After this very navigator in shackles sent home and wanted to judge, but the Spanish rich, already well earned in the open lands, defended Columbus and secured his release.
Trying to prove his rightness, the seafarer undertook the fourth expedition, during which he finally reached the continent of America.
In the last years of his life, Christopher Columbus tried to restore the title of nobility, granted to him by the crowned couple of Spanish monarchs, as well as privileges on open lands. However, he did not manage to do it. After death, the remains of the discoverer were reburied several times, so that now there are several likely tombs of Christopher Columbus.
Three ships of Columbus (Karakka and caravels)
When Christopher Columbus finally secured financing for his first expedition, he set about preparing ships.
First of all, it was necessary to determine the number. Since his enterprise was rather risky, it was expensive to equip a large flotilla. At the same time, one or two ships - too little. Therefore, it was decided to equip three units. How were the ships of Columbus called? The main one is the caraca "Santa Maria", and two caravels: "Ninja" and "Pinta".
Karakka and caravel - what is this?
The ship of Christopher Columbus "Santa Maria" was a type of Karakka. So called sailing ships, widely spread in the 15th and 16th centuries, for 3-4 masts. 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. If we consider that the entire crew of the three Columbus ships was a hundred people, it is likely that Santa Maria was a small caraca.
Other ships of Columbus (the names of their "Ninja" and "Pinta") were caravels. This is a 2-3-masted vessel, distributed in the same years. Unlike the Karak, they were less adapted for long expeditions. At the same time, they were more maneuverable, and also light and cheap, so soon they undeservedly replaced bulky caracas.
The Columbus ship "Santa Maria"
Like the portrait of the great navigator, so the external appearance of his first three ships was not preserved. The description of the ships of Columbus, as well as their drawings, are rather approximate and compiled from the words of surviving eyewitnesses many years later or according to the scientists' assumptions.
As it is commonly believed, "Santa Maria" was a small one-deck caraca 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 hold of the ship was 3 m deep, and on the deck there was a two-story annex with cabins and storerooms. On the tank was a triangular platform.
"Santa Maria" (Columbus's ship) was equipped with several guns of different caliber, intended for shooting stone kernels. It is noteworthy that in his notes the seafarer periodically called his flagship ship a Karakka or a caravel. The flag ship of Columbus belonged to Juan de la Cose, who was also his captain.
The Fate of Santa Maria
Unfortunately, "Santa Maria" was not destined to return home to Spain, since back in December 1492, during the first voyage, the Columbus flagship sailed on the reefs near Haiti. Realizing that it was impossible to save "Santa Maria", Christopher ordered to take away from her everything that could be of value, and transferred to caravels. The ship itself was decided to dismantle the building materials, of which later on the same island was built the fort "Christmas" ("La Navidad").
Ninja
According to the contemporaries of the discoverer, "Ninja" (Columbus ship) was the favorite vessel of the discoverer of new lands. For all his travels he overcame on it over forty-five thousand kilometers. After the death of "Santa Maria" it turned into the flagship of Columbus.
The real name of this vessel was "Santa Clara", but the members of the expedition tenderly called her "babe", which in Spanish sounds like "ninja". The owner of this ship was Juan Niño. But on the first trip of Columbus, the captain of the Nigny was Vicente Yagnes 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 "Ninja" had three masts. According to the ship's journal, originally this caravel had oblique sails, and after being in the Canary Islands they were replaced by straight ones.
Initially, the ship was a little more than twenty crew members, but after the death of "Santa Maria" they became more. It is interesting that it was on him sailors first began to sleep in hammocks, adopting this tradition from the Indians.
Destiny of "Ninyi"
Safely returning to Spain after Columbus's first expedition, Ninja also participated in Christopher's second journey to the shores of America. During the infamous hurricane of 1495, Santa Clara was the only surviving ship.
Between 1496 and 1498 the favorite ship of the discoverer of America was captured by pirates, but thanks to the courage of her captain was released and went to the third trip of Columbus.
After 1501 there is no information about it, probably the caravel sank during one of the campaigns.
"Pint"
Precise data on the appearance and technical characteristics of this ship in history has not survived.
It is noteworthy that the land of the New World was first seen by a sailor from the "Pinta".
It is known that the ships returned home separately. Moreover, the captain of the "Pinta" made every effort to ensure that his ship came first to Spain, hoping to report the joyful news himself. But I was only a couple of hours late because of the storm.
The Fate of the Pinta
It is not known how the destiny of the Pinta ship evolved after Columbus' trip. There is evidence that after returning the captain of the ship was rather coldly received at home. And because of health problems received during the expedition, he died in a few months. Probably, the ship was either sold and changed its name, or was lost during the next voyage.
Other Columbus Ships
If during the first expedition the Columbia flotilla consisted of only three small ships, then in the second there were seventeen, in the third - six, and in the fourth - only four. This was due to the loss of confidence in Christopher Columbus. Ironically, after only a few decades, Columbus will become one of the greatest heroes of Spain.
The names of most of these vessels are not preserved. It is known only that the flagship in the second expedition was a ship called "Maria Galante", and in the fourth - "La Captain".
After so many years, after it was clarified on which ships Columbus went on his first trip and discovered a new world for all mankind, it becomes amazing how they could even swim there. After all, the Spanish crown had more powerful and voluminous vessels, but their owners did not want to risk them. Pleases that the owners of "Santa Maria", "Santa Clara" ("Ninyi"), as well as "Pints" were not so and ventured to go on an expedition to Columbus. It is because of this that they entered the world history forever, as well as the islands discovered by them and two new continents.
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