Heller 80865 Santa Maria

Santa Maria (colloquially called La Gallega) was a Spanish sailing ship - a karaka, which was probably launched at the beginning of the 15th century. The length of the vessel was approximately 19 meters and a width of approximately 5.5 meters. The full displacement of the Santa Maria ship probably did not exceed 130-150 tons, and its crew consisted of about 40 people. She was one of the three ships that took part in the expedition of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Santa Maria was a commercial unit, but had little artillery armament. It was also much larger than the accompanying 1492 ships Nina and Pinta, and thus better prepared to cross the Atlantic. The unit was also the flagship of the entire expedition. The most famous voyage in the history of the ship began with departure from the port of Palos de la Frontera on August 3, 1492. Unfortunately, on December 25, 1492, the ship ran aground near Hispaniola and was unable to continue navigation. Santa Maria was partially dismantled by the crew and abandoned.