Nina

Type

Caravel

Period

15th Century

Nation

Spain

Overview: La Niña (originally named Santa Clara) was one of the three Spanish ships used by Christopher Columbus on his 1492 first voyage to the West Indies, alongside the Pinta and the carrack Santa María. She was reportedly Columbus's favorite of the three ships and was used extensively for coastal scouting and exploration during the voyage. Specifications: The Niña was a small caravel of roughly 50-60 tons burthen, about 15.24 m (50 ft) on deck, with a beam of 4.85 m and a draught of 2.07 m, carrying a complement of around 24 men. She was originally rigged as a lateen-sailed caravela latina but was re-rigged at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands as a caravela redonda, combining square sails on the fore and main masts with a lateen mizzen for better open-ocean performance balanced with maneuverability. Service History: The Niña crossed the Atlantic with Columbus in 1492 and, after the flagship Santa María ran aground and was lost off Hispaniola, she became Columbus's flagship for the return voyage to Spain, surviving a severe mid-Atlantic storm before reaching Palos in March 1493. She went on to take part in Columbus's second voyage (1493) exploring the Caribbean, and continued in service on trading and exploratory voyages afterward; her ultimate fate is unrecorded, with the last known log entry dating to around 1501. Notable Facts: No original plans or wreck evidence survive, so all modern depictions and replicas of the Niña are reconstructions based on period accounts (such as those of Michele de Cuneo) and general knowledge of 15th-century caravel construction; some scholars believe she may have carried four masts rather than the traditionally depicted three. Because of this uncertainty, scale modelers should treat dimensions and rigging details as best estimates rather than fixed facts.