![]() ![]() Bettmann ArchiveĪnd 500 years of hurricanes would be no friend to a beached hulk, either archaeologist Donald Keith told the magazine. A chromolithograph by Louis Prang and Company. If Columbus’ ships sunk in a region like the Caribbean, they would have easily been consumed by a species of wood-eating mollusk, known as “termites of the sea,” the magazine reported. No one knows whether the vessels, two of which eventually returned to Europe, ended up, if they even survived or were eventually wrecked. 12, 1492, ending the pre-Columbian era in the New World.ĭespite being the find of a lifetime for curious archaeologists and shipwreck chasers - the three ocean-going sailing ships have never been found, according to National Geographic. The 15th century explorer landed in the present-day Bahamas on Oct. More than half a millennium after Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue, the physical remains of his three ships - the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria - remain lost to history. We must rescue America’s heroes from those who tear them down Vandals spray-paint ‘Murderer’ on Central Park Columbus statue Photos show pair who scrawled ‘Murderer’ on Christopher Columbus statue: NYPD The three ships of that first voyage are considered among the ‘Holy Grail’ of ship archaeology.Vikings were in the Americas 500 years before Christopher Columbus: study The Niña and the Pinta continued in service following the voyages to the New World, but no record has been discovered that give clues as to their fates. It was the only one of the three whose approximate location was known. But the ship that was found dated more than a century later than Columbus’ voyages. In 2014, it was reported that the wreck of the Santa Maria had been located. The remains of the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria have proved elusive despite decades of searching. In February 1494, twelve of the ships returned to Spain with Columbus sailing on the Niña. These ships included a new ship christened the Santa Maria, as well as the Niña and Pinta from the first voyage to the New World. Realizing that the ship was beyond repair, Columbus ordered his men to strip the timbers from the ship which were then used to build a fort which Columbus called La Navidad (Christmas).Īfter the success of his first voyage, the Spanish Sovereigns spared no expense in fitting out Columbus’ second voyage with a total of seventeen ships for the colonization of Hispaniola. During the return trip, shortly before midnight on Christmas Eve in 1492, an unauthorized crewmate was manning the wheel and the currents carried the ship onto a sandbank, running her aground off Haiti. The Santa María was the slowest of Columbus’ vessels, but performed well in the Atlantic Ocean crossing. The Admiral sent her as an advance guard to the New World for his third voyage in 1498, but the last that is known of the ship was a record of her voyage to the Pearl Coast in 1501. The Niña was Columbus’ favorite and he bought a half share in the ship for his second voyage to the New World, where she served as his flagship. Smallest of the fleet was the Niña, captained by Vicente Añes Pinzón, brother of Martín. Her fate following the second voyage to the New World is also not recorded. It is believed that she was built in 1441, making the ship over a half century old at the time of Columbus’ first voyage. It was a lighter and faster ship than the much wider Santa Maria, but little is known about the Pinta. ![]() On its first voyage across the Atlantic, the Pinta was captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón. The Niña and Pinta were smaller than the Santa Maria, weighing between 50 and 75 tons, with a deck length of 50 to 60 feet. The exact measurements of length and width of the three ships have not survived, but good estimates of their capacity can be judged from notes written by their crew members. The actual name of the Pinta (the Painted One) is unknown. The Niña (the Girl) was actually christened the Santa Clara and sailed for at least 46 years. The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the smaller caravel-type ships. She had a single deck, three small masts and as a cargo ship weighed about 100 tons. The Santa Maria was the largest of the ships and was a medium-sized carrack, with a deck roughly about 58 feet long. The Niña and Pinta were nicknames given to the vessels. Few realize that only the Santa Maria was the true name of the three ships. Everyone knows the names of the three ships that sailed on Christopher Columbus’ maiden voyage to the New World – the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria. ![]()
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