caravels

Caravels were small, highly maneuverable sailing ships developed by the Portuguese in the 15th century for deep-sea and coastal exploration. They were adopted by Spanish mariners as well and played a central role in the early Age of Exploration, enabling European voyages along the West African coast and into the Atlantic.

Design: Caravels typically carried two or three masts with lateen sails, which allowed them to sail closer to the wind than square-rigged vessels. Early caravels were fully lateen-rigged; later variants, known as the caravel redonda or round caravel, sometimes added a square sail on the mainmast or mizzen to improve performance with fair winds.

Hull and use: They had light, shallow-draft hulls suitable for near-shore work, river estuaries, and rough seas. The combination of speed, agility, and a small crew made caravels ideal for reconnaissance, charting coastlines, and long-distance voyages in unknown waters.

Legacy: Caravels influenced ship design and navigation during the Age of Exploration. They were gradually supplanted by larger caravels and carracks, but their tactic and rigging knowledge informed later ship development. Notable voyages include Bartolomeu Dias's rounding of Africa (1488) and Vasco da Gama's voyage to India (1497–1499).