Santa Maria (Columbus)
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:53 pm
The Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción, The Imaculate Conception of Mary, was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.
The Santa María was a small carrack, or "nao", about 70 feet long, used as the flagship for the expedition. She carried 40 men. The Santa María was constructed from pine and oak which was from the Białowieża Forest.
The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the caravel-type ships Santa Clara, remembered as the Niña ("The Girl" – a pun on the name of her owner, Juan Niño) and Pinta ("The Painted" – this might be a reference to excessive makeup). All these ships were second-hand (if not third or more) and were never meant for exploration.
The Santa María was originally named La Gallega ("The Galician"), because she was built in Pontevedra, Galicia. It seems the ship was known to her sailors as Marigalante, Spanish for "Gallant Mary". Bartolomé de Las Casas never used La Gallega, Marigalante or Santa María in his writings, preferring to use la Capitana or La Nao.
The Santa María had a single deck and three masts. She was the slowest of Columbus' vessels but performed well in the Atlantic crossing. She ran aground off the present-day site of Môle Saint-Nicolas, Haiti on December 25, 1492, and was lost. Timbers from the ship were later used to build Môle Saint-Nicolas, which was originally called La Navidad (Christmas) because the wreck occurred on Christmas Day.
Columbus's crew on the first voyage was not composed of criminals as is widely believed. Many of them were experienced seamen from the port town of Palos and the surrounding countryside and coastal area of Galici.
There were some crew members from Andalusia, as the voyage was financed by a syndicate of seven noble Genovese bankers resident in Seville (the group was linked to Américo Vespucci and funds belonging to Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de Medici ). Hence all the accounting and recording of the voyage was kept in Seville. This also applies for the Second voyage even though the syndicate had by then disbanded. This fact partially demyths the romantic story that the Queen of Spain is alleged to have used a necklace she had received from her husband the King, as collateral for a loan.
It is a fact that the Spanish Sovereigns offered amnesty to convicts who would sign up for the voyage, but only four men took up the offer: one who had killed a man in a fight, and three of his friends who then helped him escape from jail.
Of the four voyages of Columbus, only the crew of the first voyage is completely known.
Santamariagalante. The stamp design, SG241, is based on a woodcut by Erhart Reuwich, of Utrecht, made by him in 1483. The woodcut was apparently used to decorate the printed copy of the letter of Columbus to his King and Queen after his famous voyage.
Various sites.
Too many stamps to list.
The Santa María was a small carrack, or "nao", about 70 feet long, used as the flagship for the expedition. She carried 40 men. The Santa María was constructed from pine and oak which was from the Białowieża Forest.
The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the caravel-type ships Santa Clara, remembered as the Niña ("The Girl" – a pun on the name of her owner, Juan Niño) and Pinta ("The Painted" – this might be a reference to excessive makeup). All these ships were second-hand (if not third or more) and were never meant for exploration.
The Santa María was originally named La Gallega ("The Galician"), because she was built in Pontevedra, Galicia. It seems the ship was known to her sailors as Marigalante, Spanish for "Gallant Mary". Bartolomé de Las Casas never used La Gallega, Marigalante or Santa María in his writings, preferring to use la Capitana or La Nao.
The Santa María had a single deck and three masts. She was the slowest of Columbus' vessels but performed well in the Atlantic crossing. She ran aground off the present-day site of Môle Saint-Nicolas, Haiti on December 25, 1492, and was lost. Timbers from the ship were later used to build Môle Saint-Nicolas, which was originally called La Navidad (Christmas) because the wreck occurred on Christmas Day.
Columbus's crew on the first voyage was not composed of criminals as is widely believed. Many of them were experienced seamen from the port town of Palos and the surrounding countryside and coastal area of Galici.
There were some crew members from Andalusia, as the voyage was financed by a syndicate of seven noble Genovese bankers resident in Seville (the group was linked to Américo Vespucci and funds belonging to Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de Medici ). Hence all the accounting and recording of the voyage was kept in Seville. This also applies for the Second voyage even though the syndicate had by then disbanded. This fact partially demyths the romantic story that the Queen of Spain is alleged to have used a necklace she had received from her husband the King, as collateral for a loan.
It is a fact that the Spanish Sovereigns offered amnesty to convicts who would sign up for the voyage, but only four men took up the offer: one who had killed a man in a fight, and three of his friends who then helped him escape from jail.
Of the four voyages of Columbus, only the crew of the first voyage is completely known.
Santamariagalante. The stamp design, SG241, is based on a woodcut by Erhart Reuwich, of Utrecht, made by him in 1483. The woodcut was apparently used to decorate the printed copy of the letter of Columbus to his King and Queen after his famous voyage.
Various sites.
Too many stamps to list.