What are the advantages of a caravel?

Being smaller and having a shallow keel, the caravel could sail upriver in shallow coastal waters. With the lateen sails attached, it was highly maneuverable and could sail much nearer the shore, while with the square Atlantic-type sails attached, it was very fast.

What’s the difference between caravel and galleon?

is that caravel is (nautical) a light, usually lateen-rigged sailing ship used by the portuguese, as well as spanish, for about 300 years, beginning in the fifteenth century, first for trade and later for voyages of exploration while galleon is (nautical) a large, three masted, square rigged sailing ship with at least …

What did the caravel carry?

The Caravel was slightly smaller than the Carrack. It was generally used for carrying cargo and fishing. Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal created the Caravel for long distance trade. It boasted two or three masts that had interchangeable sails.

How much cargo can a caravel hold?

Crew size ranged from a minimum of seven to fifteen and could carry up to a maximum of 30 to 50, including passengers. It could bear a load of 120 tons of cargo. A caravel could be armed with a large weapon (such as a catapult or ballista) but was not built to wield a ram.

Why was the caravel a better ship?

Advantages of the caravel The caravel was much beter than previous ships due to its ability to sail fast and into the wind. Caravel planking was much thicker, and they were broad-beamed ships with 2 or 3 masts (later, they had as many as 4) with square sails and a triangular sail.

How does the caravel ship work?

For much of its life, the Caravel featured triangular “lateen” sails that, combined with its eminent maneuverability, allowed it to sail into the wind using a zigzagging technique known as “beating to windward.” The Spanish and Portuguese soon recognized the potential of this ship, and transformed it from a simple …

Why is the galleon important?

The Manila galleons sailed the Pacific for 250 years, bringing to the Americas cargoes of luxury goods such as spices and porcelain in exchange for New World silver. The route also fostered cultural exchanges that shaped the identities and culture of the countries involved.

What was the galleon used for?

galleon, full-rigged sailing ship that was built primarily for war, and which developed in the 15th and 16th centuries. The name derived from “galley,” which had come to be synonymous with “war vessel” and whose characteristic beaked prow the new ship retained.

What was so special about the caravel?

Apparently developed by the Portuguese for exploring the coast of Africa, the caravel’s chief excellence lay in its capacity for sailing to windward. It was also capable of remarkable speed. Two of the three ships in which Christopher Columbus made his historic voyage in 1492 were caravels, the Niña and the Pinta.

What made caravels so great?

During these centuries, the caravel was a ship with a distinctive shape and admirable qualities. Along with its shallow draft and ability to sail windward, these qualities helped the caravel achieve fame as it was propelled across the Atlantic and southward along the rocky western coast of Africa.

What replaced the galleon?

The galleon continued to be used until the early 18th century, when better designed and purpose-built vessels such as the fluyt, brig and the ship of the line rendered it obsolete for trade and warfare respectively.

How far can a galleon travel in a day?

With an average distance of approximately 3,000 miles, this equates to a range of about 100 to 140 miles per day, or an average speed over the ground of about 4 to 6 knots.

Why was the caravel used on a galleon?

Galleons were also fitted as warships and tended to have more ribs and bracing to withstand gunfire. The caravel was like sailing a bathtub, so the hull of the galleon was elongated for stability, and the forecastle was lowered, creating less wind resistance that helped increase the speed of the ship and its ability to maneuver.

What kind of ship was a galleon made of?

The shipwright varied hull and sail configuration based on the ship’s homeport, its destination, and the cargo it carried. Galleons were also fitted as warships and tended to have more ribs and bracing to withstand gunfire.

Which is smaller a carrack or a galleon?

Below the bowsprit was a “beak” used for ramming. The forecastle was lower than the aft castle with a flat stern for speed. Galleons were generally smaller than the Portuguese carrack, which weighed an average of 500 tons. Galleons were often cheaper to build than the more traditional caravel or carrack.

Why was the galleon important to the Spanish?

Galleons were often cheaper to build than the more traditional caravel or carrack. Many European countries used galleons as merchant or supply ships in peace, and could quickly convert them to war ships in times of trouble. The Spanish used the vast amount of cargo space in the galleon to carry the New World treasure across the Atlantic.