United States History Student Edition

The Caravel

The triangular lateen sail caught wind that blew perpendicular to, or at a right angle to, the ship, making the ship easier to maneuver.

A bilge pump , operating from the main deck, removed water from storage areas.

Ballast stones were placed in the hull of the ship to provide better balance

Caravels ranged in length from 75 to 90 feet (23 to 27 m) and were suited for sailing along shallow coastlines. The astrolabe (inset image) measured the position of the stars to aid navigation. Improved sailing tools such as these helped promote exploration. Making Connections What tools might sailors use to find their position at sea today?

Better Ship Design Advances in ship design allowed sailors to make long ocean voyages. The stern rudder and triangular sail enabled ships to sail into the wind. The Portuguese three-masted caravel (KER•uh•vehl) became the most famous ship of the European age of exploration. Caravels could sail faster and carry more cargo and supplies than earlier ships. These advances and competition for foreign trade led countries such as Portugal and Spain to search for sea routes to Asia. Portugal began its explorations along the west coast of Africa, an area Europeans had never visited before. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Identifying Cause and Effect How did new developments in technology help make European voyages of exploration possible?

LESSON ACTIVITIES 1. Argumentative Writing In a short essay, explain which of the following innovations you think was the most important in encouraging exploration: • the printing press • improved maps • the compass 2. Analyzing Information Working with a partner, create a flash card for each vocabulary term in this lesson. Take turns quizzing each other on the definitions of each term. Then do a “reverse quiz” by showing the definition side of each flash card and having your partner say the corresponding vocabulary term.

caravel a small, fast Portuguese ship used during the age of exploration and usually having three sails

(l)A. Gómez/Flickr/Getty Images; (tr)McGraw Hill Education

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