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Pictures of the Nina Posted

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  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Greenville,Michigan
Posted by millard on Thursday, January 3, 2008 11:55 PM

I have to agree with Jtilley  there's no certainity on the correct way.I've done a couple of Nina's and always had a bowsprit.I've got copies of the build on the Heller kit of the Nina done by the late James Powell for Model Ship Builders mag. back in the eighties. He has a Bowsprit,Foremast,Main mast,and lateen .If your interested in copy I can you one. its not so much historical as is in how to build a better model.

Rod

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Monday, December 31, 2007 7:13 PM

I'm certainly no expert on fifteenth-century naval architecture, but I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this one.  The answer is:  nobody knows.

The amount of firm information about Columbus's ships is extremely scanty.  We have a list of the sails of the Santa Maria (fore course, main course, main topsail, mizzen, spritsail), because Columbus happened to mention it in his journal.  ("I allowed them to set all the sails....")  We know the Nina started out as a "caravela lateena," with lateen sails on all her masts, and got rerigged in the Canary Islands as a "caravela redonda."  The glossary in the relevant volume of the Conway's History of the Ship series (which is where I usually start when looking up such matters) defines "caravela redonda" as "a caravel with square canvas on at least the fore mast.  There is an example as early as 1438-39 built by Portuguese shipwrights for Philip the Good of Burgundy and at this time the ships seem to have carried a squre main and lateen mizzen.  Later three-masted versions became common, with square fore and main canvas and lateen mizzen; most famous of the latter configuration was Coulumbus' rerigged Nina."

Most reconstructions of the Nina in her initial configuration seem to give her two masts and no bowsprit (though I think I've seen at least one with three masts).  It seems likely that in her rerigged configuration she would have had a bowsprit, but I don't think anybody can say for certain.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Lacombe, LA.
Posted by Big Jake on Monday, December 31, 2007 6:51 PM

Hi Rod,

Happy New Year to you and yours also.  DO you know what woud be correct, the model versions or the one in the photos? It's a pretty big diffeance!

Jake

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Greenville,Michigan
Posted by millard on Monday, December 31, 2007 6:14 PM

First Happy New Year to you Jake.A few years back the Nina was up here in the Great Lakes.I went on her I believe in South Haven Mi. I took several pic's of her (didn't have Digitel camera)used the Pic's for one of my build's of a Santa Maria.Cool boat.

Rod

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Lacombe, LA.
Pictures of the Nina Posted
Posted by Big Jake on Sunday, December 30, 2007 11:01 AM

I got the 69 pictures finally uploaded to a new Webshots album this morning. Still working of the arrangement of them in a better logical order, but enjoy! I got everything you would need to do a good detailed model, almost all aspects, excpet the lower areas, :(

DISCLAIMER! The first thing that will jump out at most modelrs is whether she had a bowsprit, or even a formast, even  the aft most mast might be in question. Most models on the market today do not have either. But according to the writeup in SOME books, she did.  The BS and FM were added to some vessles??? BUt would it have changed the classification? 

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561939307IiuHlP

Jake

 

 

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