Portuguese Caravel

Timeline

1. c. 1300–1375Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula · Iberian PeninsulaFishermen and merchants along the coasts of Portugal and Castile used light vessels with lateen sails of Arab-Mediterranean influence; their narrow hulls and shallow draft suited inshore fishing and coastal trade, providing the technical prototype for the caravel's standardization.
2. c. 1381–1390Ports of Lisbon and Setúbal · SetúbalIn the early years of John I's reign, Portuguese shipwrights further reduced the hull size and strengthened the combination of masts and rigging, enabling the vessels to sail against the wind and undertake longer coastal and offshore routes; scholars often regard this stage as the key transitional period in which the caravel moved toward ocean-going capability.
3. c. 1415–1500Sagres and Lagos · AlgarveIn the first half of the 15th century, the caravel became the main ship type for Portuguese exploration along the African coast and operations such as the capture of Ceuta; its lightness and long-range capability were fully proven and fixed during the expansion of the Age of Discovery.