Santa Maria
Columbus' Early Life
Columbus, the son of a wool merchant and weaver, was
born in Genoa, Italy and went to sea at the age of 14. Following a shipwreck off the coast of Portugal in 1470, he swam ashore and settled in that country.WHY DID HE GO TO AMERICA?
He was not looking for America. He was looking for a shorter route to the Far East. There he would find valuable silks and spices.
WHERE DID HE SAIL FROM?
As the sun rose on August 3rd 1492 the three wooden ships the Santa Maria, the Nina and the Pinta set sail down the river Tinto to the open sea of Spain. He had to cross the 'sea of darkness'
The Beginning of his Voyage
Columbus called
first at the Canary Islands, the westernmost Spanish possessions. He was delayed there for four weeks by calm winds and the need for repair and refit. Columbus left the island of Gomera on September 6, 1492, but calms again left him within sight of the western island of Hierro until September 8. His crew mostly came from surrounding towns such as Lepe and Moguer.SIZE
She was fat and slow
, designed for hauling cargo, not for exploration. Some sources say that the Santa Maria was about 100 tons, It was a the best current thinking, by Carla Rahn Philips, puts the length of Santa Maria at 18 meters, keel length at 12 meters, beam 6 meters, and a depth of 3 meters from keel to deck. He had 90 men 30 per ship..
SAILS
The Santa Maria had three masts
(fore, main, and mizzen), each of that carried one large sail. The foresail and mainsail were square; the sail on the mizzen, or rear, mast was a triangular sail known as a lateen. In addition, the ship carried a small square sail on the bowsprit and small topsail on the mainmast above the mainsail.The captain of the Pinta
Columbus arrived at his Bahamas landfall on
October 12, then proceeded to Cuba on October 28. While sailing north of Cuba on November 22, Martín Alonso Pinzón, captain of the Pinta, left the other two ships without permission and sailed on his own in search of an island called "Babeque," where he had been told by his native guides that there was much gold. Columbus continued with the Santa Maria and Niña eastward, and arrived at Hispaniola on December 5. He later met up again with Alonso Pinzón who had found nothing.
The Finance
-In 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain
to discover a westward passage to the Orient. His trip was financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. On October 12th, after several fearful weeks at sea, Columbus finally set foot on dry land. He landed at San Salvador.
WHERE DID HE LAND?
The flagship Santa Maria grounded on a reef on Christmas Eve and sank the next day. Columbus used the remains of the ship to build a fort on shore, which he named La Navidad (Christmas). But the tiny Niña could not hold all of the remaining crew, so Columbus was forced to leave about 40 men at La Navidad to await his return from Spain. Columbus departed from La Navidad on January 2, 1493.
Which Columbus named San Salvador. Columbus actually landed in the Bahamas.
Columbus thought he had landed on the Spice Islands near India. This is why he named the people he met Indians.
WHAT HAPPENED TO COLUMBUS?
Columbus died in 1506 still believing that he had found a new route to the East Indies
NOW
``A number of expeditions have searched for the remains
. Famous historians have claimed to know where it is. Some adventurers have even claimed to have located the wreck, but nothing has ever come of any of these claims.
RETURN TO INDEX
