Model of the ship Santa Maria

The Santa Maria was the ship that Christopher Columbus captained on his first expedition to discover America. Owned by Juan de la Cosa, it was built on the Cantabrian coast and originally named La Gallega. It was wrecked on the north coast of Espanyola (Haiti) on the morning of the 24th/25th December 1492. In the mid-15th century, the ship was a larger, more solid vessel than a caravel and ended up becoming the classic merchant vessel in the age of discovery. It had three masts: the foremast and mainmast carried square sails, while the mizzen mast had lateen rig.