Bérrio

Type

Caravel

Period

15th Century

Nation

Portugal

Overview: Bérrio was a small Portuguese caravel, originally named São Miguel, acquired from a pilot named Manuel de Bérrio and best remembered as the smallest and fastest ship in Vasco da Gama's 1497–1499 fleet that opened the first direct European sea route to India. It is one of the most iconic vessels of the Age of Discovery, commemorated on Portuguese banknotes and in a scale model at the Museu de Marinha. Specifications: Sources place its tonnage at roughly 50–90 tons, far smaller than the fleet's two carracks São Gabriel and São Rafael. The Portuguese account describes it as a lateen caravel, robust and fast, about 30 meters long, three-masted, and roughly 50 toneis (about 50 tons), though there is dispute among historians over whether it was a lateen caravel, a "caravela redonda" with mixed rig as shown in the Livro das Armadas, or even closer to a nau based on Álvaro Velho's Roteiro. Model-makers should treat the rig as an open question rather than a settled fact. Service History: Nicolau Coelho's Bérrio separated from Vasco da Gama's São Gabriel near Cape Verde on the return leg and sailed on alone, arriving in Lisbon on 10 July 1499, with Coelho personally delivering the news of the discovery to King Manuel I. This made it the first caravel of the fleet to return home, a full month ahead of the flagship, whose own return was delayed because da Gama stopped at the Azores to bury his dying brother Paulo before finally reaching Lisbon in late August or early September 1499. Notable Facts: The ship appears on the Portuguese 2,000$00 and 10,000$00 escudo banknotes issued for the 5th Centenary of the Portuguese Discoveries, and a 1:500 scale model is on display at Lisbon's Museu de Marinha — a handy "official" reference for hull lines. The name was later reused in 1993 for an 11,485-ton Rover-class fleet replenishment tanker built in the UK, which became known for escorting the frigate NRP Vasco da Gama during the Guinea-Bissau conflict, a modern namesake entirely unrelated in form to the original caravel.