Monsignor Newman Council [4665]
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  Christopher Columbus departed on his first voyage from the port of Palos (near Huelva) in southern Spain, on August 2, 1492, in command of three ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. His crew mostly came from surrounding towns such as Lepe and Moguer.

The Santa Maria was the flagship and drew approximately twelve feet of water.  The Niña and the Pinta were "caravel" type ships and drew six feet of water and carried crews of 26.  The Santa Maria was larger and carried a crew of 40, including Columbus.  The average height of these sailors was no more than a little over four feet - five feet would have been tall.  The crews slept on straw mats on the surface decks or under the bow overhang, and the officers slept in the stern.

For the 500th anniversary of this voyage, the three ships were recreated in detail, in Spain, and after a "shakedown" cruise in the Mediterranean, the path of Columbus' voyage was followed, again.  The Santa Maria and the Pinta, in the photos below, are in dry dock and may be visited at the Corpus Christi, TX, Museum.  The Niña is still in the harbor and is awaiting funds to be moved into this area.

The Santa Maria was a nao, which simply means "ship" in old Spanish; today, we might call such a ship a carrack. The ship was fat and slow, designed for hauling cargo, not for exploration. Some sources say that the Santa Maria was about 100 tons, meaning that it could carry 100 toneladas, which were large casks of wine. There has been much speculation about just how large such a ship would be; the best current thinking puts the length of the Santa Maria at 18 meters, keel length at 12 meters, beam 6 meters, and a depth of 3 meters from keel to deck.

The Santa Maria had three masts (fore, main, and mizzen), each of which carried one large sail. The foresail and mainsail were square; the sail on the mizzen, or rear, mast was a triangular sail known as a lateen. In addition, the ship carried a small square sail on the bowsprit, and small topsail on the mainmast above the mainsail.

The Pinta was captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón, a leading mariner from the town of Moguer in Andalucia. Pinta was a caravel, a smaller, lighter, and faster ship than the tubbylike Santa Maria. We don't know much about Pinta, but it probably was about 70 tons. Again, current thinking puts the length of the Pinta at 17 meters, keel length 13 meters, beam 5 meters, and depth 2 meters. It probably had three masts, and most likely carried sails like those of the Santa Maria, except for the topsail, and perhaps the spritsail.

Smallest of the fleet was the Niña, captained by Vicente Añes Pinzón, brother of Martín. The Niña was another caravel of probably 50 or 60 tons, and started from Spain with lateen sails on all masts; but was refitted in the Canary Islands with square sails on the fore and main masts. Unlike most ships of the period, the Niña may have carried four masts, including a small counter-mizzen at the stern with another lateen sail.  It is believed her length was 15 meters, keel length 12 meters, beam 5 meters, and depth 2 meters.

The crew of the Santa Maria: 

Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus), captain-general; Juan de la Cosa, owner and master; Diego de Arana, master-at-arms; Pedro de Gutierrez, royal steward; Rodrigo de Escobedo, secretary of the fleet; Rodrigo Sanchez, comptroller; Diego de Salcedo, servant of Columbus; Luis de Torres, interpreter; Rodrigo de Jerez; Alonso Chocero; Alonso Clavijo; Andres de Yruenes; Antonia de Cuellar, carpenter; Bartolome Biues; Bartolome de Torres; Bartolome Garcia, boatswain; Chachu, boatswain; Cristobal Caro, goldsmith; Diego Bermudez; Diego Perez, painter; Domingo de Lequeitio; Domingo Vizcaino, cooper; Gonzalo Franco; Jacomel Rico; Juan, servant; Juan de Jerez; Juan de la Placa; Juan Martines de Acoque; Juan de Medina; Juan de Moguer; Juan Ruiz de la Pena; Juan Sanchez, physician; Lope, joiner; Maestre Juan; Marin de Urtubia; Pedro de Terreros, cabin boy; Pero Nino, pilot; Pedro Yzquierdo; Pedro de Lepe; Rodrigo Gallego, servant.

The crew of the Pinta:

Martin Alonso Pinzon, captain; Francisco Martin Pinzon, master; Cristobal Garcia Xalmiento, pilot; Cristobal Quintero, ship's owner; Francisco Garcia Vallejo; Garcia Hernandez, steward; Gomez Rascon; Juan Bermudez; Juan Quintero; Juan Rodriquez Bermejo; Pedro de Arcos; Alonso de Palos; Alvaro Perez; Anton Calabres; Bernal, servant; Diego Martin Pinzon; Fernando Mendes; Francisco Mendes; Gil Perez; Juan Quadrado; Juan Reynal; Juan Verde de Triana; Juan Vecano; Maestre Diego, surgeon; Pedro Tegero; Sancho de Rama

The crew of the Niña:

Vincente Yanez Pinzon, captain; Juan Nino, owner and master; Francisco Nino; Bartolome Roldan, apprentice pilot; Alonso de Morales, carpenter; Andres de Huelva; Bartolome Garcia, boatswain; Diego Lorenzo; Fernando de Triana; Garcia Alonso; Juan Arias, cabin boy; Juan Arraes; Juan Romero; Maestre Alonso, physician; Miguel de Soria, servant; Pedro de Soria; Pero Arraes; Pero Sanches; Rodrigo Monge; Sancho Ruiz, pilot

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