Was the caravel a good fighting ship?

The square-rigged caravel held a notable role in the Portuguese expansion during the age of discovery, especially in the first half of the sixteenth century, for its exceptional maneuverability and combat capabilities. This ship was also sometimes adopted by other European powers.

What were the disadvantages of the caravel ship?

One of the drawbacks of the caravel was that it could not carry as much cargo as other types of vessels like the carrack. This limited capacity was a serious disadvantage when, for example, the Portuguese gained access to the spice trade in Asia and wished to transport precious cargoes to Europe via maritime routes.

What were caravels used for?

caravel, a light sailing ship of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries in Europe, much-used by the Spanish and Portuguese for long voyages. Apparently developed by the Portuguese for exploring the coast of Africa, the caravel’s chief excellence lay in its capacity for sailing to windward.

What was a caravel what was better about caravel?

Advantages of the caravel The caravel was much beter than previous ships due to its ability to sail fast and into the wind. Caravel planking was much thicker, and they were broad-beamed ships with 2 or 3 masts (later, they had as many as 4) with square sails and a triangular sail.

How fast can a caravel sail?

about 8 knots
Top speed for a caravel was about 8 knots; the average was 4 knots for 90-100 miles in a day.

What did the caravel lack?

Because of a shallow hull, the caravels were mostly used for a long voyages and the exploration of the African coast. Sometimes they were mounted with the guns and used as a warship. A big weakness was a lack of cargo capacity and the small living quarters.

How fast is a galley?

The estimated average speed of Renaissance-era galleys was fairly low, only 3 to 4 knots, and a mere 2 knots when holding formation. Short bursts of up to 7 knots were possible for about 20 minutes, but only at the risk of exhausting rowers.

How much cargo can a caravel hold?

Crew size ranged from a minimum of seven to fifteen and could carry up to a maximum of 30 to 50, including passengers. It could bear a load of 120 tons of cargo. A caravel could be armed with a large weapon (such as a catapult or ballista) but was not built to wield a ram.

What made caravels so great?

During these centuries, the caravel was a ship with a distinctive shape and admirable qualities. Along with its shallow draft and ability to sail windward, these qualities helped the caravel achieve fame as it was propelled across the Atlantic and southward along the rocky western coast of Africa.

How many men can a galley hold?

They could be manned by crews of up to 1,000 men and were employed in both trade and warfare.

How far can a galley travel in a day?

Double that if the wind was favorable, and for very short rowing bursts. Double THAT if the wind was ideal, which I assume is rare to nonexistent. Assume, then, that that’s 50 km per day. In a week, a galley could therefore cover as much as 350 km.

How much cargo can a galley carry?

Commercial galleys were bigger than military galleys and therefore even more expensive to build. Large crews made them expensive to operate. For their size, they had a relatively small carrying capacity of approximately 250 to 350 tons.

What is the history of the caravel?

See Article History. Caravel, a light sailing ship of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries in Europe, much-used by the Spanish and Portuguese for long voyages. Apparently developed by the Portuguese for exploring the coast of Africa, the caravel’s chief excellence lay in its capacity for sailing to windward.

How many people could a caravel hold?

Portuguese caravel. This was the standard model used by the Portuguese in their trips of exploration. The lateen rigged caravel was able to sail close to the wind, closer than square rigged vessels. It could accommodate about 20 sailors.

What was the purpose of the lateen sails on a caravel?

The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing windward ( beating ). Caravels were used by the Portuguese and Castilians (Spain) for the oceanic exploration voyages during the 15th and 16th centuries in the Age of Discovery .

What was the purpose of the Portuguese caravel?

The caravel (Portuguese: caravela, IPA: [kɐɾɐˈvɛlɐ]) was a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing windward (beating).