Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Dhow with lateen sail in "bad tack" with the sail pressing against the mast, in Mozambique.. The emergence of new evidence for the development and spread of the lateen sail in the ancient Mediterranean in recent decades has led to a reevaluation of the role of Arab seafaring in the Indian Ocean, replacing a belief that this sail has an eastern origin.
Model of a Portuguese caravel, found in the Musée national de la Marine. The caravel (Portuguese: caravela, IPA: [kɐɾɐˈvɛlɐ]) is a small sailing ship that may be rigged with just lateen sails, or with a combination of lateen and square sails. It was known for its agility and speed and its capacity for sailing windward .
A typical caravel was fifty plus tons, twenty to thirty meters in length and six to eight meters in breadth, the lateen sails were rigged on two-thirds tall masts and occasionally no bowsprit. These adjustments made it possible to increase the speed and the crew, but at the expense of cargo space and war capabilities. [24]
The ship that truly launched the first phase of the Portuguese discoveries along the African coast was the caravel, a development based on existing fishing boats. They were agile and easier to navigate, with a tonnage of 50 to 160 tons and 1 to 3 masts, with lateen triangular sails allowing luffing. The caravel's limited capacity for cargo and ...
The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the caravel-type Pinta and the carrack-type Santa María. Niña was by far Columbus's favorite. She was originally lateen sail rigged caravela latina, but she was re-rigged as a caravela redonda at Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands, with square sails for better ocean performance. [2]
The carrack and caravel both incorporated the Mediterranean lateen sail that made ships far more manoeuvrable. It was also through the Arabs that Ancient Greek geography was rediscovered, for the first time giving European sailors some idea of the shape of Africa and Asia.
The voyages were made in very small ships, mostly the caravel, a light and maneuverable vessel equipped by lateen sails. Most of the voyages sent out by Henry consisted of one or two ships that navigated by following the coast, stopping at night to tie up along some shore. Approximate routes of the Portuguese ships under Henry's command.
Square-rigged caravels and lateen caravels were different types of ships, being only the generic name caravel the greatest link between both. [2] The square-rigged caravel possessed aftercastle and forecastle, unlike the lateen caravel, which could not have any structure erected on the bow of the ship, because of the maneuver of the foremast ...