Swedish caravel

“Nina”

At the beginning of the summer of 1492, Christopher Columbus had the task of choosing three ships from out of all the boats along the coast of Andalusia, he knew very well what kind of ships he was looking for. From 1477 to 1483, he had gone on long voyages around the Atlantic and in Porto Santo he compiled documents that had belonged to his father-in-law, Bartholomew de Perestrello, who had for many years been the Governor of the Madeira Islands; he had also gathered information on the Great Portuguese Discoveries along the coast of Africa. Finally Christopher Columbus choose the Nao Santa Maria originally named "La Gallege" which was owned by Juan de la Coas, who sailed with Columbus as his Captain.

On the 3 of August 1942 she left the Spanish harbor Palos de la Frontera bound for the Canary Islands together with the caravels "Pinta" and " Nina".
Cristopher Colombus wrote in his "Book on the First Voyage "We sailed South with a strong wind until sunset for 60 miles, which are 15 leagues; then Southeast and South, a quarter by Southeast, which was the way to the Canaries, then...on the 12 of October the sailor Rodrigo de Triana made out land. He left to reach the Indies, he finally discovered the New World..."

Smallest of the fleet was the Nina, captained by Vicente Ares Pinzon, brother of Martin. The Nina was another caravel of probably 50 or 60 tons, and started from Spain with lateen sails on all masts; but she was refitted in the Canary Islands with square sails on the fore and main masts. Unlike most ships of the period, Nina may have carried four masts, including a small counter-mizzen at the stern with another lateen sail. This would have made Nina the best of the three ships at sailing upwind. Philips puts her length at 15 meters, keel length 12 meters, beam 5 meters, and depth 2 meters.

Scale 1:20.

Length 25” (630 mm), width 11” (270 mm), height 30” (750 mm).