Portuguese caravel

Timeline

1. c. 1420–1440Portugal, shipyards in Algarve and Lisbon · PortugalPortuguese craftsmen, building on Arab lateen-rigged vessels and Mediterranean ship types and meeting Atlantic sailing needs, developed the caravel prototype centered on the lateen sail. Its light hull, shallow draft, and excellent upwind performance quickly made it the preferred vessel for exploring the African coast.
2. 1455–1460Cape Verde Islands and the mouth of the Gambia River · West AfricaVenetian navigator Alvise Cadamosto, commissioned by Portugal, reached the Cape Verde Islands in caravels in 1455 and 1456, becoming one of the earliest known Europeans to reach the archipelago. In the same period Portuguese explorer Diogo Gomes went deep up the Gambia River. Prince Henry died in 1460, but the exploration system he established ensured caravels continued pushing into the Gulf of Guinea. This decade marked the maturation and standardization of the caravel as a tool of systematic geographic exploration.
3. 1487–1488Cape of Good Hope · South AfricaBartolomeu Dias led a fleet of caravels on the voyage rounding the Cape of Good Hope, proving the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were connected and laying the foundation for da Gama's opening of the India route in 1498. This voyage demonstrated the caravel's outstanding seaworthiness in extreme sea conditions.