Transformation of Ships Since Columbus Time

Everybody knows that Columbus made the life changing trip to the Americas on three ships: the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. These ships that Columbus used have evolved greatly over time. The technology of ships today has allowed traveling by sea to be much easier. Columbus' ships and modern ships have few similarities, and they have many contrasting qualities. Ships have a long history, and they have made many technological changes over the years.

The ships that Columbus used were not exactly high tech. They were a fairly simple design and life was basic. These ships traveled at a very slow pace. These ships could travel at speeds between four to eight knots. This speed always depended on the speed of the wind. These ships had multiple sails an masts, and the wind carried them across the water. At this rate, his ships were able to travel at about ninety to one hundred miles on an average day (Pickering, 2018). Knots are simply just the nautical version of miles per hour. A nautical mile is slightly larger than land measured miles. One knot equals 1 nautical mile per hour and 1.15 land measured miles per hour (NOAA, 2013). The Ni?±a, Pinta, and Santa Maria could carry about 120 passengers. These ships were very unsanitary, and people on board had to sleep tightly packed together on the damp deck. Passengers had to pack dry foods such as bread and crackers, and meat was salted to stay preserved for the long trip. Christopher Columbus used the stars and the sun as navigation. There were not many accomodations on these ships compared to what kind of ships are travelling the sea today (Alchin, 2012).

Ships today are much more innovative than the ships used back in 1492. Things are always evolving over time, and this was no different for these boats. Cruise ships today have restaurants, bars, and even sports. The typical cruise ship weighs more than 70,000 tons. Not only are these ships very large, they can also travel at speeds between 21 and 24 knots per hour. They can even reach speeds of up to 30 knots per hour or more. They are powered by a diesel engine and have propellers that slice the water to accelerate the boat. Cruise ships have a very low fuel efficiency as it takes 10 miles of gas to move only hundreds of feet (Tysdal, 2013). An unbelievable amount of people can board a cruise ship. Royal Caribbean has the largest cruise ship ever, and it has a maximum capacity of 4,370 people. Today ships are used to carry cargo from place to place. The most common use for boats in modern times is for vacations. There are multiple cruise ship companies, such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean. The cruise lines provide families with entertainment and travel all over the world to give people an enjoyable and relaxing vacation.

Columbus's ships and the ships of today have many differences when it comes to technology. Not only are the technology of these ships different, but the are also very different when if comes down to how they work. Ships today can travel up to 20 knots faster than Columbus's ships. Columbus was making one of the most impactful expeditions of all time, and made it all the way from Spain to the Americas by traveling at the speed of the wind. Another obvious difference is the capacity of these ships. Columbus's ship could barely board more than one hundred people, while modern day cruise ships are carrying thousands of people across the ocean. During Columbus's time people were taking foods that were easily preservable to eat on the long voyage. Now anyone can get on a cruise ship and be served high class meals from actual restaurants. The use of technology such as GPS and phones has also allowed traveling by sea to be much different. The sleeping arrangements on the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were one of the most dreaded parts of the trip.

Today, families are spending weeks on the ocean living in luxury. The rooms on these ships are comparable to a five star hotel. Columbus had to use astronomy to navigate his way to the western hemisphere. In today's world, we have the world right at our fingertips and can easily find out any needed information. Over the span of many years, ships have evolved greatly from Columbus's time to today. Things changed from living with minimal accommodations to spending vacations on a boat.

Ships have a long history, and they have made many technological changes over the years. Travelling by sea has evolved greatly. The three ships used by Columbus, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were very different than any of the boats that will be found in the ocean today. Today, ships travel the ocean more efficiently than they did in the past. The use of boats has changed so much since the great voyage made by Christopher Columbus.

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