Nao Santa Maria

Where two worlds met

The Nao Santa Maria is one of the most famous ships in human history. On 12 October 1492, led by Christopher Columbus, this ship played the lead role in one of the most defining moments in world history: the discovery of America, a meeting between two worlds that changed the course of history forever.

From entries in diaries and other historical sources, we know more about the features of the Nao Santa Maria. It was a larger ship than the well-known caravels, with a round shape and a deep keel, but less fast. The ship had a bow deck, an aft deck, a raised stern and a captain's cabin. Her four masts carried several sails, including a latin sail on the mizzen mast and a sprit sail on the bowsprit. The steering mechanism consisted of a tiller and there were two rowboats on board as support.

Although the exact dimensions at the time are still unknown, historians estimate that the ship had a cargo capacity of about 100 tonnes. This is based on documents from later expeditions and shipbuilding treatises from the 16th century. Using iconography and historical sources, the ship's construction details and shape have been fully reconstructed, resulting in this stunning 2017 replica of the Nao Santa Maria.