![]() Due to the San Mateo's valiant actions, the San Martin was able to make a successful escape.LIFE ON BOARD A SIXTEENTH CENTURY SPANISH SHIPĪmong the ships used by the Spanish explorers in the 16th Century were the Carracks, known in Spain as “naos”, the Caravels, and the Galleons, which were off-springs of the earlier naos and caravels. Even after suffering such a murderous hail of shot, three successive times the San Mateo managed to repel the boarders with withering musket fire from the surviving marines before finally being forced to withdraw. The English, seeing the shambles on her deck, attempted to board her. The San Mateo was immediately surrounded and pounded by seventeen English ships of the line. The San Mateo, having survived the successive broadsides of an entire English firing line and her sails and rigging already in shreds, was taking on water but doggedly limped in to save the San Martin. When the Armada met the Elizabethan Navy in 1588, the San Martin (1000 tons, 48 guns), flagship of the Duke of Medina, was badly damaged, having taken 107 direct hits. On board she carried 350 marines meant to be a part of the invasion forces. The San Mateo, a Portuguese built medium galleon of 750 tons and 34 guns, sailed as part of the Spanish Armada. These commodities included such materials as ginger, cowrie shells, porcelains, silks, velvets, damasks, drugs, pearls, and ivory. Then the cargoes were escorted overland to the Caribbean flotas. In addition to these goods, another Spanish fleet called the Manila Galleons crossed the Pacific and sent treasures from the Orient to Acapulco and Panama. In these ports, the ships traded for the wealth of the Indies: gold, silver, emeralds and other gemstones, hides, exotic woods, copper, tobacco, sugar, cochineal, indigo, and many more valuables. The first fleet sailed to Mexico (Nueva Espa�a) where it dropped anchor at the port of Vera Cruz, while the second fleet visited the South American mainland ports of Cartagena, Nombre de Dios, and Porto Bello. At that point the ships split into two separate fleets, the Nueva Espa�a flota and the Tierra Firme flota (after 1648 this was called Los Galeones). From here they sailed west with the prevailing tradewinds until they entered the Caribbean. They would sail down the coast of Africa until they reached the Cape Verde Islands. The fleet would leave Spain loaded with manufactured goods needed by the Spanish colonies in the new world, departing first from Seville and later from Cadiz. Distinctive galleries - open air balconies that went around the entire stern - were added and later would become part of the officers' quarters. This area was used for the crew's toilets and even in today's mariner language the word "head" means a toilet. A new structure, the head, was constructed to start from the front of the forecastle (and above the stem) and to extend out underneath the bowsprit in a tapering form to a decorated figurehead. The fore castle was moved aft of the stem and had the bowsprit sticking out of its front. The galleon design was more maneuverable and much more seaworthy. In the middle of the 16th century, the carrack design was modified into what is now known as the galleon. The castle structures also caused drag and could reduce the amount of wind reaching the sails. The large superstructures (the fore and aft castles) made the vessels extremely top-heavy which also made the ship more likely to capsize in a strong wind. Undoubtedly the most famous carrack, however, was the little Santa Maria used by Christopher Columbus as his flagship when he sailed into history in 1492. Magellan used Carracks exclusively when he set out to sail around the world in 1519. ![]() They offered room for a large crew and for cargo to be brought home. Carracks were the ship of choice during the age of exploration. It also was the first ship which incorporated the castle structures into the hull. ![]() The carrack was, arguably, the first fully rigged ship. To discuss the development of the galleon, the carrack must first be examined. ![]()
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