Concept in Definition ABC

Some stories about the arrival of Christopher Columbus to America they speak of "the three caravels", although there are doubts that the three ships corresponded to this type, speaking of at least one ship. But what and what were the caravels like?

A caravel is a ship developed for ocean voyages in Portugal, and it was widely used by this country and by Castile between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Its shape is wide and short, with a length that barely exceeded 25-30 meters and the beam could reach 10. She was also a very tall ship, which gave her a draft sufficient to overcome the dangerous Atlantic waters.

These presented challenges that the calmer Mediterranean waters did not have. That is why the galley, a boat flatter, slender, elongated, it triumphed in Mediterranean waters, and it would have been impossible to handle in waters of the central Atlantic.

These characteristics allowed the caravel to carry a large amount of cargo on board.

Thanks to this, they were ideal for long-distance trips, such as the one that took Christopher Columbus to the discovery, since this one did not know how long it would last (conspiracy theories that indicate otherwise are admitted here).

The caravel had one or two castles, aft or fore and aft, depending on the case.

With such a great height, these were far above the Water, which allowed them to protect the crew and food transported from the great Atlantic waves.

They had two or, more often, three masts, from which hung lateen and, later, square sails.

The caravel evolved, combining both types sails and thanks to the fact that the builders were learning from trips to the continent American.

Oars were also included, although these served on rare occasions, especially when the caravel had to approach land to disembark.

With the passage of time and the experience gained in transoceanic voyages, the caravel was surpassed by other types of ships.

Especially in the case of the galleon, a much larger ship, which could carry much more endowment and cargo, and that he was better prepared to deal with ocean hazards.

The caravel was contemporary with other ship formats, such as naos and carracks, which surely surpassed it in some parameters but, in the end, each type of ship serves a specific purpose, and the caravel became the horse battle of the opening bars of discovery and conquest of American lands by the Iberian kingdoms.

Photo: Fotolia - Michael Rosskothen