Niña
Encyclopedia
La Niña (Spanish
for The Girl) was one of the three ship
s used by Christopher Columbus
in his first voyage towards the Indies in 1492. The real name of the Niña was Santa Clara. The name Niña was probably a pun on the name of her owner, Juan Niño
of Moguer
. She was a caravel
-type vessel.
The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the caravel-type Pinta and the carrack
-type Santa María
. The Niña was by far Columbus's favorite. She was originally lateen sail rigged caravela latina, but she was re-rigged as caravela redonda at Azores with square sails for better ocean performance. There is no authentic documentation on the specifics of the Niña's design. Often said to have had three masts, there is some evidence she may have had four masts.
The Niña, Pinta, and the Santa María were not the largest ships in Europe at the time. They were smaller trade ships surpassed in size by ships like the Great Michael, built in Scotland
in 1511 with a length of 73.2 m (240 ft), and a crew of 300 sailors, 120 gunners, and up to 1,000 soldiers. The Peter von Danzig
of the Hanseatic League
was built in 1462 and was 51 m (167.3 ft) long. Another large ship, the English
carrack Grace Dieu
, was built during the period 1420-1439, was 66.4 m (218 ft) long, and weighed between 1,400 tons and 2,750 tons. The reason size is mentioned is that Columbus' three ships were built to sail the Mediterranean sea, not the open ocean.
. They left Palos de la Frontera
on August 3, 1492, stopping at the Canary Islands
on August 12, 1492, and continued westward. Landfall was made in the Bahamas at dawn on October 12, 1492. After one of his men accidentally ran the Santa Maria aground on December 25, 1492, Columbus returned to Europe on the Niña in early 1493. On 14 February, in the east of the Azores
, a storm threatened to capsize the Niña, and, at Columbus's instigation, he and the crew took a series of vows
to perform certain acts, including pilgrimage
s, upon their return to Spain. The Niña reached Lisbon
, Portugal
on March 4 and arrived in Palos de la Frontera on March 15. On the first voyage to America the crew of the Niña slept on the deck, but adopted the use of hammocks
after seeing Native Americans sleeping in hammocks.
The Niña joined a grand fleet of 17 ships for the second voyage to Hispaniola
, becoming the flagship for an exploration of Cuba
. She was the only ship to survive the 1495 hurricane, returning quickly to Spain
in 1496.
The Niña was then chartered for an unauthorized voyage to Rome
. She was captured by a pirate corsair when leaving the port of Cagliari
and brought to Cape Pula, Sardinia. The Captain, Alonso Medel, escaped with a few men. He stole a boat, rowed back to the Niña, and made sail, returning to Cadiz
.
In 1498 she returned to Hispaniola
as advance guard of Columbus's Third Voyage. She was lying in wait at Santo Domingo
in 1500. In 1501 she made a trading voyage to the Pearl Coast, and there is no further log of her.
The Niña logged at least 25000 nautical miles (46,300 km) under Columbus's command.
A replica of the Niña (based upon theory; there are no known contemporary likenesses of any of the three ships) now sails around the world.
The 4-masted replica Niña was built in 1988 by engineer and naval researcher John Patrick Sarsfield, British naval historian Jonathan Morton Nance, and a group of master shipbuilders in Bahia, Brazil who were still using design and construction techniques dating back to the 15th century. They built it from heavy, teredo-resistant Brazilian hardwoods using only adze
s, axes, hand saws, and chisels. The sails were designed by Nance using square main sails and two aft lateen sails as were used by ships of this size at the end of the 15th century. The crew of the Niña say that it can make about 5-7 knots, which is quicker than older designs of the era. The replica weighs 75 tons.
In 1991, the replica sailed to Costa Rica to take part in the filming of "1492: Conquest of Paradise
", and the Niña has visited hundreds of North America ports to give the public a chance to see and tour the ship. It continues to visit ports across the Eastern to Mid United States along with it's sister replica ship, the Pinta. The replicas of the Niña and the Pinta were built in Valença, Brazil
using the same methods as the 15th century Portuguese
.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for The Girl) was one of the three ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s used by Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
in his first voyage towards the Indies in 1492. The real name of the Niña was Santa Clara. The name Niña was probably a pun on the name of her owner, Juan Niño
Niño brothers
The Niño Brothers were a family of sailors from the town of Moguer , who participated actively in Christopher Columbus's first voyage—generally considered to constitute the discovery of the Americas by Europeans—and other subsequent voyages to the New World.- The Niño Brothers and Columbus's first...
of Moguer
Moguer
Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 18,381. Its surface area is , and its population density is ....
. She was a caravel
Caravel
A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave her speed and the capacity for sailing to windward...
-type vessel.
The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the caravel-type Pinta and the carrack
Carrack
A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese , and later by the Spanish, to explore and...
-type Santa María
Santa María (ship)
La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción , was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.-History:...
. The Niña was by far Columbus's favorite. She was originally lateen sail rigged caravela latina, but she was re-rigged as caravela redonda at Azores with square sails for better ocean performance. There is no authentic documentation on the specifics of the Niña's design. Often said to have had three masts, there is some evidence she may have had four masts.
The Niña, Pinta, and the Santa María were not the largest ships in Europe at the time. They were smaller trade ships surpassed in size by ships like the Great Michael, built in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1511 with a length of 73.2 m (240 ft), and a crew of 300 sailors, 120 gunners, and up to 1,000 soldiers. The Peter von Danzig
Peter von Danzig (ship)
Peter von Danzig was a 15th century ship of the Hanseatic League. It was the first large vessel in the Baltic Sea featuring carvel planking.- Career :...
of the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
was built in 1462 and was 51 m (167.3 ft) long. Another large ship, the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
carrack Grace Dieu
Grace Dieu (ship)
Grace Dieu was launched in 1418 as the flagship of Henry V of England and was one of the largest ships of her time. She sailed on only one voyage, and spent most of her life laid up in the River Hamble, where in 1439 she was struck by a bolt of lightning and burnt.-Construction:She was built to a...
, was built during the period 1420-1439, was 66.4 m (218 ft) long, and weighed between 1,400 tons and 2,750 tons. The reason size is mentioned is that Columbus' three ships were built to sail the Mediterranean sea, not the open ocean.
History
On Columbus's first expedition, the Niña carried 24 men, captained by Vicente Yáñez PinzónVicente Yáñez Pinzón
Vicente Yáñez Pinzón was a Spanish navigator, explorer, and conquistador, the youngest of the Pinzón brothers...
. They left Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera
Palos de la Frontera is a town and municipality located in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capital, Huelva...
on August 3, 1492, stopping at the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
on August 12, 1492, and continued westward. Landfall was made in the Bahamas at dawn on October 12, 1492. After one of his men accidentally ran the Santa Maria aground on December 25, 1492, Columbus returned to Europe on the Niña in early 1493. On 14 February, in the east of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, a storm threatened to capsize the Niña, and, at Columbus's instigation, he and the crew took a series of vows
Columbus's vow
Columbus's vow was a vow by Christopher Columbus and other members of the crew of the caravel Niña on 14 February 1493, during the return trip of Columbus's first voyage to perform certain acts, including pilgrimages, upon their return to Spain...
to perform certain acts, including pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
s, upon their return to Spain. The Niña reached Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
on March 4 and arrived in Palos de la Frontera on March 15. On the first voyage to America the crew of the Niña slept on the deck, but adopted the use of hammocks
Hammock
A hammock is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts....
after seeing Native Americans sleeping in hammocks.
The Niña joined a grand fleet of 17 ships for the second voyage to Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
, becoming the flagship for an exploration of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. She was the only ship to survive the 1495 hurricane, returning quickly to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1496.
The Niña was then chartered for an unauthorized voyage to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. She was captured by a pirate corsair when leaving the port of Cagliari
Cagliari
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
and brought to Cape Pula, Sardinia. The Captain, Alonso Medel, escaped with a few men. He stole a boat, rowed back to the Niña, and made sail, returning to Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
.
In 1498 she returned to Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
as advance guard of Columbus's Third Voyage. She was lying in wait at Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
in 1500. In 1501 she made a trading voyage to the Pearl Coast, and there is no further log of her.
The Niña logged at least 25000 nautical miles (46,300 km) under Columbus's command.
Replica
The 4-masted replica Niña was built in 1988 by engineer and naval researcher John Patrick Sarsfield, British naval historian Jonathan Morton Nance, and a group of master shipbuilders in Bahia, Brazil who were still using design and construction techniques dating back to the 15th century. They built it from heavy, teredo-resistant Brazilian hardwoods using only adze
Adze
An adze is a tool used for smoothing or carving rough-cut wood in hand woodworking. Generally, the user stands astride a board or log and swings the adze downwards towards his feet, chipping off pieces of wood, moving backwards as they go and leaving a relatively smooth surface behind...
s, axes, hand saws, and chisels. The sails were designed by Nance using square main sails and two aft lateen sails as were used by ships of this size at the end of the 15th century. The crew of the Niña say that it can make about 5-7 knots, which is quicker than older designs of the era. The replica weighs 75 tons.
In 1991, the replica sailed to Costa Rica to take part in the filming of "1492: Conquest of Paradise
1492: Conquest of Paradise
1492: Conquest of Paradise is an epic 1992 European adventure/drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Roselyne Bosch, which tells the story of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus and the effect this had on the indigenous people...
", and the Niña has visited hundreds of North America ports to give the public a chance to see and tour the ship. It continues to visit ports across the Eastern to Mid United States along with it's sister replica ship, the Pinta. The replicas of the Niña and the Pinta were built in Valença, Brazil
Valença, Rio de Janeiro
Valença is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 71,894 and its area is 1,305 km². The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Valença....
using the same methods as the 15th century Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
.
See also
- The Pinzon BrothersThe Pinzon BrothersThe Pinzón brothers were Spanish sailors, explorers and fishermen, natives of Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain. All three, Martín Alonso, Francisco Martín and Vicente Yañez, participated in Christopher Columbus's first expedition to the New World and in other voyages of discovery and...
- Voyages of Christopher ColumbusVoyages of Christopher ColumbusIn the early modern period, the voyages of Columbus initiated European exploration and colonization of the American continents, and are thus of great significance in world history. Christopher Columbus was a navigator and an admiral for Castile, a country that later founded modern Spain...
- Columbian ExchangeColumbian ExchangeThe Columbian Exchange was a dramatically widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture, human populations , communicable disease, and ideas between the Eastern and Western hemispheres . It was one of the most significant events concerning ecology, agriculture, and culture in all of human history...
or The Grand Exchange