![]() John had lived in Brazil while working in the Peace Corps, and had learned of an archaic ship building process called Mediterranean Whole Moulding. In 1988, the Columbus Foundation hired John Patrick Sarsfield (click for more information on John), an American engineer, maritime historian, and expert on Portuguese caravels, to design and construct a replica of the Niña. The Niña logged at least 25,000 miles under Columbus' command. She was lying in Santo Domingo in 1500, and we last hear of her making a trading voyage to the Pearl Coast in 1501. ![]() Voyage from Cadiz to Rome, was captured by a pirate off Sardinia, recaptured by her master and crew and returned to Cadiz in time to sail to Hispaniola early in 1498 as advance guard of Columbus third voyage. After his return she made an unauthorized When Columbus had the pick of the whole Merchant Marine on his second voyage he selected her out of 17 ships as his flagship for an exploratory voyage to Cuba, and purchased a half share in her. She made the entire first voyage, bringing the Admiral safely home. Transatlantic routes, larger cargo vessels as well as warships were required, which paved the way for the development of the galleon.Ĭolumbus changed the Niña's rig to a Caravela Redonda before the first voyage. The Caravel heydey lasted almost a hundred years from the early 1400's to the 1530's. They were used to chart the Coast of Africa to the Cape of Good Hope by Bartholomew Diaz they took part in all four of Columbus voyages they were used by Vasco de Gama in 1502 in 1519, the caravel Santiago accompanied Magellan's expedition. The Niña, which is rigged as a Caravela Redonda, has square sails on the main and foremast for sailing downwind, and lateen (triangular) sails on the mizzen masts.Ĭaravels have always been linked with Portuguese and Spanish explorations and explorers. Their advantages were speed, a shallow draught, and manoeuvrability, plus the fact that they were good sailing ships. The Niña, like the Pinta, was a caravel, which was a common trading vessel in use during the Age of Discovery.Ĭaravels were also used as cargo carriers, warships, patrol boats, and even corsairs (pirate ships). The least was known about the Pinta, and after the first voyage she disappeared from history without a trace. She became the flagship because she was the largest of the fleet but Columbus disliked her for her dull sailing qualities, and when she sank, he recorded in his journal she was very heavy, and not suitable for the business of discovery. She was a nao, or freighter and was built in Galicia. The original Santa Maria ran aground in Hispaniola and sank on the first voyage. It was decided that the Niña would be built. During that time it became evident that due to money and time constraints it would be possible to build only one replica. She hopes the ship will be restored and able to sail again in the future.ĬNN’s Nicole Williams contributed to this report.The next two years were spent in research. During that time, she learned and now teaches 15th century sailing techniques. Mrazek first started working on the ship in 1995 when it was in sailing condition. When the ship was in its prime, people were able to sail around the Corpus Christi bay in it. While it’s unknown how long the repair process will take, the ship was set to embark on a journey to Aransas Pass, a city about 20 miles away, later this month to undergo some needed restoration. “She stayed that way for three months until we had the funds to bring her back up.” “The pumps were electric and the electricity was off due to the hurricane,” said Mrazek. After Hurricane Harvey hit the area in 2017, the ship took on water and partially sank because its water pumps were off. This isn’t the first time the 75-foot-long and 20-foot-wide ship sank in the marina. The ship now sits on the bottom of the marina.
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