Finding a sea route to India was a very important task for Portugal. The country, located away from the main trade routes of the time, could not fully participate in world trade. Exports were small, and the Portuguese had to buy valuable goods from the East at very high prices. At the same time, the geographical position of Portugal was very favorable for discoveries on the west coast of Africa and attempts to find a sea route to the “land of spices”.

In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope, circumnavigated Africa and entered the Indian Ocean. After that, he had to turn back, as the sailors demanded a return to Portugal. Based on Dias' discoveries, King João II was about to send a new expedition. However, preparations for it dragged on and got off the ground only after Manuel I ascended the throne in 1495.

The head of the new expedition was not Bartolomeu Dias, but Vasco da Gama, who was 28 years old at that time. He was born in the coastal Portuguese town of Sines and belonged to an old aristocratic family. At his disposal were two heavy ships, the San Gabriel and the San Rafael, a light fast ship, the Berriu, and a transport ship with supplies. The crew of all ships reached 140-170 people.

2 Swimming

The ships passed the Canary Islands, separated in the fog and gathered near the Cape Verde Islands. The further journey was made difficult by headwinds. Vasco da Gama turned to the southwest and, a little short of reaching Brazil, thanks to a fair wind, managed to reach the Cape of Good Hope in the most convenient way. On November 22, the flotilla rounded the cape and entered unfamiliar waters.

At Christmas, the ships entered the bay, which was called Christmas Harbor (port of Natal). At the end of January 1498, the expedition reached the mouth of the Zambezi River, where it stayed for about a month, repairing ships.

Moving further along the east coast of Africa, the Portuguese reached Mozambique on March 2. Here began the territories controlled by the Arabs. Vasco da Gama had enough translators, so the further voyage took place along a route that was quite understandable for the Portuguese: they knew the distances and the main ports at which they had to stop.

3 India

In a wealthy Somali city, Melinda Gama managed to negotiate with the sheikh, and he provided him with a pilot. With his help, the expedition reached India in May 1498. The ships stopped near the city of Calicut (Kozhikode). The local ruler, the Zamorin, cordially received the ambassador of the Portuguese captain. However, Gama sent gifts to the ruler that had no value, relations between him and the ruler cooled, and the situation in the city, on the contrary, became tense. Muslim merchants turned the townspeople against the Portuguese. The ruler did not give Vasco da Gama permission to establish a trading post.

On August 9, before leaving, Gama addressed the Zamorin with a letter in which he reminded him of the promise to send an embassy to Portugal and asked to send several bags of spices as a gift to the king. However, the ruler of Calicut responded by demanding payment of customs duties. He ordered the detention of several Portuguese, accusing them of espionage. In turn, Vasco da Gama took hostage several noble Calicutans who visited the ships. When the Zamorin returned the Portuguese and part of the goods, Vasco da Gama sent half of the hostages ashore and took the rest with him. On August 30, the squadron set off on its return journey.

The way back was not easy. On January 2, 1499, da Gama's sailors sighted the Somali port of Mogadishu. In September 1499, Vasco da Gama returned to his homeland as a hero, although he lost two ships and two-thirds of the crew, including his beloved brother Paulo.

4 Second voyage to India. Departure

Immediately after the opening of the sea route to India, the Portuguese kingdom began organizing annual expeditions there. A 1500 expedition led by Pedro Alvares Cabral concluded a trade treaty with the Zamorin of Calicut and established a trading post there. But the Portuguese came into conflict with the Arab merchants of Calicut, the trading post was burned, and Cabral sailed out of the city, firing cannons at it.

Vasco da Gama was again appointed head of the new large expedition, equipped after the return of Cabral. Part of the flotilla (15 ships out of 20) left Portugal in February 1502.

5 Swimming

Beyond the equator, Gama, probably for the purpose of reconnaissance, went, without moving far from land, along the coast of Arabia and North-West India to the Gulf of Cambay, and from there he turned south.

At Kannanur, Gama's ships attacked an Arab ship sailing from Jeddah (Mecca harbor) to Calicut with valuable cargo and 400 passengers, mainly pilgrims. Having plundered the ship, Gama ordered the sailors to lock the crew and passengers, among whom there were many old men, women and children, in the hold, and the bombardiers to set the ship on fire.

6 India

Having concluded an alliance with the ruler of Kannanur, Gama moved a flotilla against Calicut at the end of October. He began by hanging 38 fishermen who were offering fish to the Portuguese on yards, and bombarded the city. At night, he ordered the corpses to be removed, heads, arms and legs cut off, and the bodies dumped in a boat. Gama attached a letter to the boat, saying that this would be the fate of all citizens if they resisted. The tide brought the boat and the stumps of corpses ashore. The next day, Gama again bombarded the city, plundered and burned a cargo ship approaching it. Leaving seven ships to blockade Calicut, he sent two other ships to Kannanur for spices, and with the rest went to Cochin for the same cargo.

After two “victorious” skirmishes near Calicut with Arab ships, Vasco da Gama in February 1503 led the ships back to Portugal, where he arrived in October with a cargo of spices of enormous value. After this success, Gama's pension and other income were significantly increased, and he later received the title of count.

7 Third voyage

In 1505, King Manuel I, on the advice of Vasco da Gama, created the office of Viceroy of India. The successive Francisco d'Almeida and Affonso d'Albuquerque strengthened Portugal's power on Indian soil and in the Indian Ocean with brutal measures. However, after Albuquerque's death in 1515, his successors became much worse at their tasks, thinking more about personal enrichment.

King João III of Portugal decided to appoint the 54-year-old stern and incorruptible Vasco da Gama as second viceroy. In April 1524, the admiral sailed from Portugal. Vasco da Gama was accompanied by two sons - Estevan da Gama and Paulo da Gama.

8 India. Death

Immediately upon his arrival in India, da Gama took firm measures against the abuses of the colonial administration. But on December 24, 1524, Vasco da Gama died of malaria in Cochin.

Vasco da Gama was born in 1469 in the city of Sines, into a noble family of a soldier who faithfully served King João II of Portugal. Vasco da Gama's career as an explorer began after the death of his father, who led an expedition planned to open a sea route to Asia.

flagship "San Gabriel"

Vasco da Gama took a crew of 170 people and set sail from Lisbon on July 7, 1497, with three ships " San Gabriel», « Berrio" And flagship "San Rafael". His task was to find a sea route to India to establish trade relations that would provide Portugal with cheap goods. At that time, goods from Asia entered the European market, thanks to merchants from Venice, Cairo and Alexandria via overland routes, which turned out to be expensive. Portugal needed its own way.

ship "Batavia"

ship "San Rafael"

The voyage to the Cape of Good Hope was safe. The sea was calm, and the wind was blowing in the direction the sailors needed. But as soon as we rounded Cape Verde, a hurricane of wind and rain hit. Only for a short time the storm subsided, and then began again. All this complicated the progress of the expedition. Supplies of provisions and drinking water were running out. Several sailors died from exhaustion. The crew began to demand that the ships be turned around and headed for Portugal. The exhausted but angry team mutinied. The sailors wanted to chain Vasco da Gama in chains, but he managed to break free and calm the rioters.

traveler Vasco da Gama

The ships stopped off the coast of East Africa near Mozambique to repair rigging and sails. There the team began its first trading relationships with local residents. But this did not last long, since due to the hostile attitude of the natives, there were attempts to seize the ships. In this regard, the expedition was forced to leave the coast. Soon May 20, 1498 Vasco da Gama finally arrived at the port of Calicut (now Kolkata). This is a city on the east coast of India, where trade of merchants from two continents - Africa and Hindustan - was concentrated. Vasco da Gama showed diplomatic abilities during negotiations with the Indian ruler Zatorin. After presenting gifts to the leader, attitudes towards travelers gradually began to change. In addition, goods purchased in Africa had virtually no value from local residents. Soon they began to show hostility. Vasco da Gama was imprisoned as a pirate. Having narrowly escaped the death penalty, he was able to collect a rich cargo of precious stones, gold and coral. He finally agreed to conduct trade relations between the Zamorin people and the Portuguese (the ruler really liked the spices). Afterwards, the ships departed from the coast of India and headed for Portugal along the coast of Africa. Navigator gradually mapped the outlines of the continent.

return of sailors home

In September 1499, an expedition consisting of two ships and 55 exhausted crew arrived in the port of Lisbon. They were greeted as heroes. And indeed, in addition to the values ​​that brought great income to the state’s economy, Vasco da Gama put on the world map more than 4000 km of the African coast from the mouth of the Great Fish River to the port of Malindi, inscribing his name in world history as the discoverer of the sea trade route from Europe to India.

The first journey of Vasco da Gama: how Europeans discovered India.

Background

It has been a trading partner of Europe since ancient times. The most skillful gold jewelry, rich fabrics, precious stones, spices, unprecedented fruits - this is not a complete list of what Europe, or rather its rulers, kings, dukes, and princes, desperately needed.

Historically, the Arabs acted as intermediaries in trade with the East. The path to the fairyland was well known to them, and after the emergence of Islam and numerous wars in Asia, India completely became part of the Muslim world.

For a thousand years, all goods from the East came to Byzantium, which knew how to get along with its neighbors, and sometimes even put pressure on them. The heyday was over, and now the neighbors were happy to put pressure on the decrepit and ever-shrinking empire.

With the arrival of the Mongols, who saw no point in trading with Europe, everything became even more complicated. The old caravan routes were empty; goods reached the Old World through many intermediaries, which, of course, did not reduce the prices of Indian delights at all.

Europe itself was in dire need of gold, which was becoming catastrophically scarce. Only the cunning Venetians and Genoese managed to find a common language with the Muslims, who inflated prices so much that goods from India became available only to royalty, and even then not from every royal house.

Start

For a long time it was the last country where oriental luxuries were brought. All the “cream” have already been filmed in the North, in the south, in. Therefore, the Portuguese giants got something easier. It was impossible to put up with such a situation.

There is another circumstance that prompted the Portuguese monarchs to organize numerous expeditions to exotic countries. After the end of the reconquista (the reconquest of territory from Muslims on the Iberian Peninsula), numerous nobles who only knew how to fight created more and more problems in the kingdom. It was expensive to feed them all, and constantly fighting with someone was even more expensive. This force and energy had to be somehow directed and organized. Dangerous journeys are an excellent option: if successful, the income will far exceed the expenses; if it fails, no one will cry much.

Lisbon's interests were primarily directed toward Africa, which promised gold, slaves, and many other benefits. On the path to wealth, however, stood the Moors, expelled but unconquered, who found shelter in the north of the Dark Continent. But they can be bypassed. India was just a dream for a long time. But her time has come.

Before Vasco da Gama Having opened the route to India, there were several attempts to discover the sea route to spices. Brave Portuguese sailors and captains explored the western coast of Africa quite well. The luckiest and bravest of them, Bartolomeu Dias, reached (named so later as a reminder of the search for India). However, he was forced to return without reaching his goal. The sailors rebelled, and the officers were in favor of returning, frightened by the distance and duration of the journey. History was waiting for Vasco da Gama, a truly strong man.

Preparation

The most experienced sailor in Portugal was ready to repeat the attempt to reach India by sea. The king had a different opinion. Having assessed Dias’s experience and knowledge, the monarch sensibly decided that sending such a person on a dangerous voyage was impractical. And just then a dispatch was received about the victory of the young captain da Gama, who went to carry out the king’s order in place of his father and won a galley with gold from the French corsairs. The king's choice fell on him.

To help the not very experienced captain, the best officers, experienced sailors, several translators and a dozen convicts were allocated to carry out dangerous assignments - about 170 people in total. The preparation of the ships was personally carried out by Dias, who knew a lot about this matter. He also instructed Vasco da Gama, shared experiences and gave advice.

Forward!

In the summer of 1497, a fateful voyage began, opening the way for the Portuguese to the coveted India. Three warships and one transport. All ships were armed in the most serious manner; even the smallest boat had a dozen powerful cannons designed to help in the implementation of the grandiose plan. The total number of guns on the ships is 52! Ahead lay a two-year journey.

Having decided not to make the mistakes of his predecessors, he leads ships away from the coast of Africa. This saved the expedition from unnecessary meetings with the Moors, the local population and Spanish competitors. However, along the way, the Portuguese still managed to capture and plunder an Arab merchant ship. But this is just the case.

It is interesting that on the way to southern Africa, Vasco da Gama almost discovered Brazil, then unknown to anyone. Had the ships sailed a few miles to the west, Cabral, who discovered this land three years later, following the route of da Gama, would have become only the second European to visit South America. It happened as it happened.

Around Africa

Having replenished supplies of water and food in the Cape Verde Islands, the ships under the command of the ambitious and young explorer Vasco da Gama set off to the West to “catch” the necessary wind, so necessary in order to reach the difficult and inaccessible southern cape.

Three months on the high seas did not have the best effect on the team. When the ships finally landed on the shore, the sailors rushed to look for love adventures. Local tribes were not ready to tolerate the antics of some strange and aggressive people. Skirmishes began, as a result of which the squadron was forced to leave. And then a storm began, terrible and lasting for many days.

The Cape of Good Hope was crossed, but the crew was overcome by scurvy. A stop was necessary. The sailors no longer wanted adventure, so the local population received the strangers favorably. It was possible to replenish supplies of water and food, and also profitably exchange ivory jewelry from the aborigines.

The sailors died from scurvy. Soon there were not enough people, and a decision was made to destroy the most damaged ship. The team was redistributed to the remaining three.

Path to India

Once in the Indian Ocean, the Portuguese found themselves in waters unknown to Europeans. This is where convicts were needed. This practice has been used since time immemorial. When an unknown shore appeared before the sailors, criminals sentenced to death were landed on it. A few days later they swam to the shore again. If the criminal was alive, it means he managed to find a common language with the local population - the team can disembark. If the unfortunate person disappeared, then they simply swam on. This is the technique.

The unknown scared the team. There was a murmur on the ships. Many officers were also determined to return. But da Gama is not like that. He demonstratively throws navigation instruments into the sea. Demonstrating by this that under no circumstances will he return without achieving his goal. Frightened by such fanaticism, the sailors fell silent.

In those days, the entire East Coast of Africa was the domain of Arab merchants. They were respected people and were readily accepted by local rulers. Indian traders also actively visited this place. They were all competitors of the Portuguese, so they were rarely well received anywhere.

The ruler of Mozambique received the Portuguese solemnly and beautifully. presented gifts from his king. This is where all the hospitality ended. The ruler was offended by the “shabbiness” of the offerings. The Arab competitors of the Portuguese whispered all sorts of dirty tricks about the newcomers. Vasco da Gama's crew was accused of piracy. I had to carry my feet away.

Next stop is Mombasa. Here, too, contact failed. The offended traveler Vasco da Gama even captured a small ship with a crew and fired at the city.

As luck would have it, the ruler of the next port city, Malindi, was Mombasa's sworn enemy. Here the Portuguese finally managed to rest a little, feed themselves, and cope with scurvy. The ruler was kind enough to help find a pilot to India. Of course, not just like that, but in exchange for a promise to give Mombasa a good beating with shelling on the way back.

In Wonderland

The Portuguese arrived in India (Calicut) at the end of May 1498. Here they are again awaited by a magnificent reception, then hostility from the local authorities. This is due to the “poverty” of gifts and the intrigues of competitors. But Vasco da Gama manages to achieve the main thing - the opening of a trading post.

Portuguese goods sold poorly. The Arabs and Indians often got into disputes about what taxes the newcomers should pay. After three months in India, the squadron again went to sea.

The way home

This time he behaves like a real pirate: he captures a couple of dozen fishermen and robs ships encountered along the way. The Portuguese themselves have to fight off the pirates.

And again a short break in Malindi. And again the sea. Now there are only two ships in the squadron. By the time of returning home to the team Vasco da Gama only 55 people remained, exhausted and exhausted. On the Anzor Islands, da Gama leaves the grave of his brother, who served as an officer with him.

Bottom line

On August 31, 1499, a haggard, aged man stood before the King of Portugal, in whom it was difficult to recognize a young and ambitious officer from the old da Gama family. Next to him lay a golden idol weighing 30 kilograms. A huge scarlet ruby ​​sparkled on the idol’s chest. Two green emeralds, sparkling greedily, were inserted into the eye sockets... India was open.

(1460-1524) was a Portuguese explorer who discovered a route across the ocean from Portugal to the East.

Da Gama was born into a noble family in Sines, Portugal. Da Gama's father Estevan da Gama was also a traveler.

Initially, the expedition to India was entrusted to Vasco's father Estvan, but due to his death in 1497, the journey was led by Vasco da Gama himself. On July 8, 1497, Vasco da Gama set off on an expedition to the East.

At that time, many people thought that Da Gama's voyage was a utopia, since it was assumed that the Indian Ocean was not connected to any other seas. But da Gama had King Manuel I of Portugal himself as his patron.

On November 22, da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and continued his journey to India. After many stops in Africa, and problems with Muslim traders who did not want interference in their lucrative trade routes, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, India, on May 20, 1498.

Having traded in spices and herbs, Vasco sailed to Portugal and returned to Lisbon in September 1499. Along the way, many crew members died of scurvy. Returning home, da Gama was considered a hero and was generously rewarded.
On his next expedition to India, Vasco da Gama, at that time already with the rank of “Admiral of the Indian Ocean,” foreseeing problems with Muslim traders, equipped 20 warships. On this voyage, da Gama killed hundreds of Muslims, often brutally, in order to demonstrate his power.

On the third expedition, Vasco da Gama was appointed representative of the royal power in India. Vasco da Gama died of illness in India on December 24, 1524. His remains were returned to Portugal for burial in the small church of Quinta do Carmo in Alentejo, and in 1880 they were transferred to the Jeronimite Monastery in Lisbon.

Vasco da Gama's ships and their equipment

IN All sources agree that the fleet, or armada, equipped for Vasco da Gama consisted of four ships, but there are discrepancies in the names of these ships. However, we will not allow ourselves to be misled if we accept as correct the information gleaned from the nameless author of our “Diary”, from João de Barros, Lopes de Castañeda, Pedro Barretta de Rezende and Manuel Faria y Sousa. According to these sources, the names of the ships and the names of their commanders were as follows:

"San Gabriel" (flagship) - Vasco da Gama, captain-commander; Peru d'Alenquer, pilot; Gonçalo Alvares, captain; Diogo Dias, secretary.

"San Rafael" - Paulo da Gama, captain; Joao de Coimbra, pilot; Joao de Sa, secretary.

"Berriu" - Nicolau Quelho, captain; Peru Eshcular, pilot; Alvaro de Braga, secretary.

Cargo ship - Gonçalo Nunes, captain.

Correa and the unknown diarist Jornal das Viagens they call "Berriu" "San Miguel", and "San Rafael" is produced as a flagship. At the same time, L. Figueiredo de Falsan (p. 147) puts "San Miguel" instead of "San Rafael". Perhaps the ship, which everyone previously knew as the Berriu, was rechristened the San Miguel before the voyage.

"Berriu" was one of those nimble ships with lateen sails, for which Portugal was famous from the 13th to the beginning of the 16th century and which, after the abandonment of whaleboats, began to be actively used in exploring the coasts of Africa. Their carrying capacity did not exceed 200 tons; they were equipped with two or three, and sometimes even four masts. It is alleged that the carrying capacity of the Berriu was only 50 tons. It received its name from the name of the previous owner and pilot, from whom it was purchased specifically for this voyage.

The cargo ship had more impressive dimensions. Sernigi says that its carrying capacity was 110 tons, Castaneda assures that it was 200. Perhaps it was the so-called caravel redonda, "rounded caravel". This type was equipped with square sails on the foresail and mainsail and triangular sails on the mizzen and bowsprit. This ship was purchased by Aires Correa, a Lisbon shipowner.

Ship design

The San Gabriel and San Rafael were built specifically for this voyage. Bartolomeu Dias, who oversaw the construction, abandoned the caravel on which he himself had accomplished his achievements in favor of ships with square rigs and greater carrying capacity. Although they walked slower and were not as maneuverable, they were safer and more convenient for the team. At the same time, he ensured that the draft of the ships would allow them to navigate in shallow water, which was expected during the voyage.

The wood for the ships was harvested over a year in the royal forests of Leiria and Alcácer. When the construction of the ships was completed, the king ordered Fernand Lawrence, manager of the Mines estate and one of the most powerful people of that time, to equip them.

Neither descriptions of the ships made in those days, nor their drawings have reached us, but there is no doubt in determining their type. Such ships are colorfully represented in the painting, painted on the orders of Don Jorge Cabral, who was governor of India in 1549–1550. Subsequently, this painting became the property of Don Juan de Castro. A copy of it was first published by Visconde de Juromegna, who discovered it in a manuscript dated 1558. Finely executed engraving in W. S. Lindsay's History of Merchant Shipping History of Merchant Shipping(II, p. 5)), made from an old painting that also belonged to Don Juan de Castro, seems to have the same primary source, but there the flag of the Order of Christ flutters on the mainmast of the ship, and not the royal standard, which could not be on flagship. But, by all indications, the ship in the picture is closer to the real thing than all the images that Zhuromenya first published.

Sources differ greatly in their estimates of the ships' carrying capacity. Sernigi writes that each of the ships had 90 tons. This is partly confirmed by Correa, who says that all three ships (including the Berriu) were built according to the same model and had the same dimensions. Don Pasheco Pereira claims that the largest of them did not exceed a carrying capacity of 100 tons. J. de Barros gives a value of 100 to 120 tons, and Castañeda gives 120 tons for the flagship and 100 tons for the San Rafael.

But all sources unanimously talk about the small size of the ships that first reached India, sailing from a European port, and even name the reason for this size limitation. Despite this, there is reason to believe that the tonnage (in modern terms) of Vasco da Gama's ships was much greater than is commonly believed. Pedro Barretto de Rezende makes a correction, saying that the ships contained between 100 and 320 tons. Lindsey goes even further. According to his statements, the San Gabriel was built to carry 400 pipes, which is equal to 400 measured tons or 250-300 nominal tons. Lindsay adds that Pinto Bastos agrees with him.

When considering the issue of carrying capacity, we should not forget that the “ton” in the 15th century was different from the modern one. In D'Albertis we read that tonelada in Seville was equivalent to two barrels, 27.5 arrobas (98 gallons) each and amounted to 1,405 cubic meters, or about 50 cubic feet. Biscay tunnel was 20% more. According to the records of Captain Lopes de Mendoza, the Lisbon tunnel had 6 palmos de goa in length (waist) and 4 of the same palmush(palms) width and height ( parea), which is 85 cubic feet.

I think this is too much, however, because my vintner told me that two barrels of sherry, each 108 gallons, contain only 75 cubic feet. In any case, this information suggests that the ton in the 15th century was significantly larger than in the 19th century.

Two attempts were made to reconstruct the flagship of Vasco da Gama, or, more accurately, to build a ship of the type that was sailed in the 15th century, and to do this as close as possible to the descriptions that were preserved on the pages of historical documents. These attempts were made by distinguished officers of the Portuguese fleet, captains Joao Bras d'Oliveira and A. A. Baldaque da Silva. An ancient manuscript on shipbuilding, written by Fernando Oliveira, played an important role in the reconstruction process. “O livro da fabrica das Ngos”), which was submitted for publication by Captain Lopes de Mendonça.

The ships that the two officers ended up with differed greatly in many respects, especially in the length of the hull and beams. On Captain da Silva's ship, the length of the beams was one third of the length of the ship, while on Oliveira they were in a ratio of one to five. In the first case, the ship turned out to be wide, as was appropriate at that time, and in the second, it was slender, almost like a modern clipper ship. It should be noted that until recently it was believed that the length of a sailing ship should not exceed four of its beams. Undoubtedly, shipbuilders of the 15th century adhered to this rule.

The dimensions of this ship are as follows:

Overall length - 84.1 feet

Waterline (with load) – 64.0

Kiel - 56.7

Beams – 27.9

Side height – 17.1

Draft, stern – 7.5

Draft, bow – 5.6

Metacentric height above the waterline (laden) – 7.4

Displacement – ​​178 tons

Load capacity – 4130 cubic meters. feet or 103 tons

I learned this from a private letter from Captain da Silva. I assumed that this was the gross tonnage of the hold, but calculating the tonnage according to the old rules, I got it to be 230 tons of 40 cubic feet each. And the “expeditionary” method, adopted in the 15th century in Venice, gave a result of 896 botte 28 gallons each, that is, approximately 250 toneladas.

The ship was flat-bottomed, with a square stern and a blunt bow, decorated with the figure of a patron saint. Channels were installed along the sides to reduce rolling when the ship was sailing in the wind. “Towers” ​​rose from the bow and stern, with the middle part located between them. However, these “towers” ​​did not rise to such an insane height as on ships of the subsequent period, when they caused difficulties in steering, and in strong winds it was often necessary to cut down the foremast and dismantle the forecastle superstructure.

These “towers” ​​were real citadels and sometimes allowed the crew of a boarded ship to defend themselves for a long time. A famous example is the resistance of the Arab ship Meri in 1502.

The captain was located in the tower above the quarterdeck, the officers occupied rooms under the captain's and in the forecastle superstructure. Ordinary sailors were quartered under platforms running along the sides, from tower to tower. Each had his own locker for goods that were to be exchanged with the natives. Stairs led from the main deck up to the fighting decks ( chapityo de rе And de vante) of both towers, they were protected by wicker fences. The tiller led to the aft battery, behind the captain's quarters, and there was also a binnacle there. The battery consisted of twenty guns. The lower battery of the “tower” was located above the quarterdeck and consisted of eight guns, loaded from the breech.

The cannons were made of forged iron strips, fastened with hoops, and mounted on fork-shaped stands. The top battery consisted of six bombards, and the same number were on the front “turret”. We probably already mentioned that people did not carry firearms. They were armed with crossbows, spears, axes, bladed weapons, javelins and boarding pikes. Some officers wore steel armor, while commoners wore doublets and leather breastplates.

There was a boat in the middle of the ship. In addition to it, there was usually a yawl with 4–6 oars.

The ship had three masts and a bowsprit. The main mast rose 110 feet above the keel, the royal standard flew from it, and the captain's scarlet flag hung from the crow's nest, 70 feet above the deck. The same “crow’s nest” was attached to the foremast. During the battle, soldiers climbed onto them and threw darts, grenades and pots of gunpowder from there. The sails were rectangular, and only on the mizzen the sail was triangular. The sail area was 4000 square meters. feet - and this is solely thanks to the “bonnets”, which were tied to the main sail, serving for the same purposes as modern foxes. On each sail was painted the cross of the Order of Christ.

The anchors, two in number, were made of iron, with a wooden rod and a ring for tying the rope.

The farm was divided into three parts. The middle part of the ship was loaded with barrels of water. Coils of rope were placed on top of them, which was very inconvenient. At the stern there was a powder magazine, most of the weapons and ammunition, including stone and iron cannonballs. The front part was intended for storing equipment. Here lay spare sails and a spare anchor.

The lower deck of the bulkhead was divided into three parts. Two of them were intended for provisions, gifts and goods for barter. This “provisions,” as Castañeda writes, was designed for a three-year journey, based on a completely solid daily ration, which consisted of 1.5 pounds of crackers, a pound of beef or half a pound of pork, 2.5 pints of water, 1.25 pints of wine, 1 /12 pita vinegar or 1/8 pint oil. On fasting days, half a pound of rice was prescribed; meat was replaced with cod or cheese. There was also flour, lentils, sardines, plums, almonds, onions, garlic, mustard, salt, sugar and honey. The ship's storerooms were replenished with fish caught when the opportunity arose and food purchased in ports (among them oranges, which were needed by those suffering from scurvy).

Products were not only scarce, they were completely unsuitable for Indian markets. Among them: lambelle (striped cotton fabric), sugar, olive oil, honey and coral beads. Among the goods prepared for gifts were washstands, scarlet chaperones, silk jackets, shawls, hats, Moorish caps, and in addition all sorts of trinkets, such as glass beads, bells, tin rings and bracelets. All this was suitable for exchange on the Guinean shores, but was not at all valued by the rich merchants of Calicut. There was apparently little cash to spend on the ships. All this information is gleaned from the letters of Don Manuel and Signor Serniggi.

After the test of time, it turned out that the most valuable was the scientific result of the expedition, so to speak. The learned Don Diogo Ortis de Villegas provided da Gama with maps and books on the desired topic, almost everything that existed at that time, including the work of Ptolemy and information about the East collected in Lisbon in recent years. Among these works, undoubtedly, the reports sent home by Peru de Covilhã, and the information collected by Lukasz Markus and the Abyssinian priest who came to Lisbon in 1490 found their place.

The astronomer Zacuto provided the expedition with astronomical instruments. It is even believed that Gama was very pleased to be mentored by this enlightened Jew. These instruments included a large wooden astrolabe, smaller metal astrolabes, and also, apparently, quadrants. Zacuto's work was added to all this "Almanach perpetuum Celestium motuum cujus radix est 1473", which José Vizinho translated and published in Leiria in 1496. These tables allowed navigators to calculate latitude by observing the height of the sun above the horizon.

There was also, of course, a significant supply of compasses, lots and bottles, and also, possibly, catena a poppa, that is, a rope that was lowered from the stern to determine the drift of the ship, as well as toleta de marteloia– a graphical replacement for our modern tables of differences in latitudes and distances. These devices have long been used by the Italians. It is also possible that Vasco already had an equatorial compass (to determine the time of tides in the ports where he called) and a compass to measure magnetic declination. This instrument is a combination of a sundial and a magnetic needle. It was invented by Pourbach in 1460 and improved by Felipe Guillen in 1528 and Pedro Nunes in 1537. It is known to have been used by João de Castro on his voyage to India and the Red Sea (1538–1541). We are inclined to believe that Vasco da Gama may have had a version of such a compass, since the name Cape Agulhas presumably appeared due to the fact that the needle showed the way to the north, although such an observation cannot be considered accurate.

Finally, we must mention the padrans, stone columns loaded onto ships. Three of them, by the will of the king, were dedicated to St. Raphael, St. Gabriel and the Virgin Mary. Barros and Castañeda write that the columns were the same as those installed by San and Dias in the time of João II. In a number of paintings painted by order of Don Manuel on the occasion of the discovery of India, Padran from the Cape of Good Hope ( "Prasum promontorium") is crowned with a cross, bears the royal coat of arms, an image of a pelican and the date.

Correa claims that the column installed on the River of Mercy (in the Diary - the River of Good Signs) was marble, with two heraldic shields. One depicted the coat of arms of Portugal, the other (on the reverse side) showed a sphere and an inscription “Do senhorio de Portugal reino de Christos”(“Lord of Portugal, King of the Christians”). The Malindi column had similar shields, but the inscription was limited to the words "Rey Manoel". Since Correa had the opportunity to see these columns, the content of the inscriptions is most likely conveyed correctly, although he is a famous inventor.