The other main item of interest I found in downtown Columbus, Ohio, on that trip there several years ago, was a replica of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus’ lead ship, permanently docked on the city’s waterfront, and available for tours.
I guess for a city named after that intrepid Italian explorer, it made sense for them to try to capitalize on the association by providing a “life-sized replica” on their waterfront, to give visitors a realistic idea of the enormity of his undertaking. And, of course, a chance to get visitors’ financial contributions to the city.
Not any different from that old Norwegian whaling vessel, the “Barba Negra” (“Black Beard”) being docked at Savannah’s Rousakis Waterfront Plaza, all those many years. A wonderful tourist draw.
I was surprised to see how relatively small this little wooden ship was. I later learned that it was actually a little bit bigger than the other two ships in his small fleet, the Nina and the Pinta.
More on that later.
Brunswick, GA, our nearby coastal city a few miles south of us, also hosted a replica of the Santa Maria a few years ago, docked on Mary Ross Waterfront Park for several days. My wife and I drove down one weekend to see it; but the line to get on board was relatively long, and the vessel was small, so we did not take that opportunity. But I well remember being astonished at how small it was, from bow to stern. I did not expect that.
I was amazed that he used this small wooden ship to sail completely across the huge Atlantic Ocean, back then, with only the primitive instruments then available, in the face of enormous unknowns.
No radar, sonar, radio, GPS, etc- only a compass and an astrolabe, perhaps.
Very primitive work, sailing only by the stars, and hoping you were still aiming in the right direction, with no road signs to guide you.
That really took a lot of courage – but of course, he had no real idea of the size of the ocean he was attempting to cross, how long it would take, or the dangers they would face – only speculation, rumors and fears.
Powered only by wind – when it came – and with limited food, and a “foreign” crew of superstitious Spanish sailors, who had threatened to mutiny, at one point or another – it is really astonishing that he actually landed in the “New World” at all -- even if we now know it was in the Bahamas, not the USA proper.
A truly amazing feat. For which he is justly celebrated, even if other results were unintended, and unknown at the time. “Vision is 20/20 in hindsight,” as the saying goes.
We often forget that.
As a schoolboy, many years ago, I of course learned about the man whom history credits with “discovering America,” with the help of the Spanish Queen, and a small fleet of three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
But that history was painted in broad strokes only, with little real substance behind it.
The two smaller vessels he used, I later found out, were of the “caravel” design – lighter weight and with lateen (triangular) sails, which made them faster than most ships of the time, and able to pick up light winds. They were so small, however, that the crews had to sleep on deck, out in the open, completely subject to the weather. Only Columbus himself had a covered cabin for himself, in the larger “cargo ship,” the Santa Maria.
That must have been hard: sun, wind, and rain would have made it difficult to sleep. At least they traveled in late summer/early fall. Winter would have been unendurable, with no inside quarters for shelter.
We were told, as school children, that Queen Isabella simply had faith in Columbus, so was eventually willing to finance his voyage.
In reality, it took him quite some time to convince her that his idea had merit; and then it was more likely that she was swayed by the possibility of his bringing back “untold riches.”
Columbus’ voyage did indeed open up the possibility of trans-Atlantic trade and the resulting colonization – which turned out horribly for the natives. But it also spurred a century of exploration by several nations, of which Spain was only one.
Portugal’s King Henry (“The Navigator”), England’s Sir Francis Drake, and Vasco de Gama later all became household names, due to their many voyages of exploration across the Atlantic. And vastly expanded the knowledge of the world as it then existed.
Today, the world as we know it now is very different from the Europe-centered world of the 1400’s.
Just look at the map of South America, with Brazil on the right, and the rest of the continent on the left – language-wise.
All because Christopher Columbus relentlessly pursued his vision, and found a New World – just not the one he thought he would.
Rafe Semmes is a proud graduate of (“the original”) Savannah High School and the University of Georgia. He and his wife are both longtime Rotarians, and live in rural eastern Liberty County with their various orphan felines. He writes on a variety of topics, and may be reached at rafe_semmes@ yahoo. com.