Santa María

 

Santa María

Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción, commonly known as Santa María, was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus during his first transatlantic voyage in 1492. Originally named La Gallega, the ship was owned and mastered by Juan de la Cosa and served as the expedition’s flagship under the patronage of the Spanish Crown.

Overview

• Type: Carrack (nau)

• Owner & Master: Juan de la Cosa

• Launched: c. 1460

• Displacement: ~150 metric tons

• Crew: ~40

• Armament: 4 bombards, culebrinas

• Fate: Ran aground and wrecked, 25 December 1492

History

Built in Pontevedra, Galicia, Santa María was a medium-sized commercial vessel with three masts and a single deck approximately 62 feet (19 m) long. Contemporary sources described her as slightly over 100 tons burthen, making her larger than Columbus’s other ships, Niña and Pinta, which were both smaller caravel-type merchant vessels.

Although none of the three ships were purpose-built for exploration, all were typical of late 15th-century Iberian coastal and Atlantic trade. Based on archaeological comparisons with similar wrecks from the period, Santa María’s estimated dimensions were approximately 19 m in overall length, 12.6 m keel length, and 5–6 m beam.

Shipwreck

On the night of 24 December 1492, while returning from the New World, Santa María ran aground on a sandbank near present-day Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola. With Columbus asleep, the ship was under the control of a cabin boy when currents pushed her onto the shoal. She was declared beyond repair and broke apart the following day.

Columbus ordered the salvage of her timbers, which were used to construct Fort La Navidad near modern Limonade. Santa María carried several anchors; one is preserved today at the Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien in Port-au-Prince.

In 2014, explorer Barry Clifford announced the discovery of the wreck, but a subsequent UNESCO investigation concluded that the remains dated to the 17th or 18th century and could not be Santa María.

Crew

Contrary to popular legend, the crew was not made up of criminals. Most were experienced sailors from Palos de la Frontera, Andalusia, and Galicia. While royal amnesty was offered to convicts, only four accepted.

The voyage was financed primarily by a consortium of Genoese bankers based in Seville, rather than by the Spanish queen’s personal wealth. Records for the expedition were kept there as well.

Although the crew’s first names are well documented, many surnames are incomplete or unknown, leading historians to identify individuals by place of origin.

Replicas

Because no original plans or illustrations survive, the exact dimensions of Santa María remain uncertain. Since the 19th century, numerous replicas have been constructed, each reflecting different scholarly interpretations.

Notable replicas include:

• 1892 Quadricentennial replica (Spain)

• West Edmonton Mall replica (Canada, 1986)

• Marigalante (1991; sank in 2025 without loss of life)

• Columbus, Ohio replica (1991 quincentennial)

• Wharf of the Caravels, Palos de la Frontera (1992)

• Madeira sailing replica (1998, still active)

• Arkady Fiedler Museum, Puszczykowo, Poland (2008)