What Were Ships Like During The Age Of Discovery?

The fifteenth century C.E. began a period known as the 'Age of Discovery.' This was a time when ships set out on vast bodies of water in search of new lands. A person deeply interested in that activity was the Portuguese prince who came to be called Henry the Navigator. He sent expeditions of ships south along the coast of Africa in hopes of eventually finding a sea route to India. Thereafter many other nations and individuals became interested in reaching the "Indies," which at that time included India, China, the East Indies and Japan. They desired quicker access to the gold, gems, drugs and spices, which hitherto had reached Europe only by long and costly overland caravans.

Because of this interest, between the years 1400 and 1514 C.E. the sailing ship underwent more profound development than it had for several thousands of years. In time ships with two masts began to appear; then ones with three and even four masts. As ships became more complex, the number of their sails increased, some having more than 30.