Christopher Columbus Voyages

Christopher Colombus was a world famous explorer. He crossed the Atlantic ocean and reached the Americas in 1492. He thought that the earth was a sphere and one could reach Asia by sailing west from Europe. He approached many European monarchs for funding his voyage before King Fedinand and Queen Isabella of Spain consented.

First Voyage

On the evening of August 3, 1492 Columbus left Spain with three ships, the Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta. The ships first went to the Canary Islands. The ships were repaired there and additional food was taken into stock. He did not believe in celestial navigation and used dead reckoning to determine his position. On September 6, the ships sailed west using the Canaries current. After 65 days of sailing on 7 October 1492 the crew saw shore birds flying west and changed their direction. They reached an island on October 12 which Colombus named San Salvador. He believed he had reached Asia though he was not sure which part. He encountered native Indians there who were quite amicable. During the fall of 1492 he reached Cuba. The Santa Maria ran aground. He founded the settlement La Navidad with 39 men. He used the Gulf Stream for his return trip to Spain. He was well received by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

Second Voyage

The second voyage began on September 24 1493. There were 17 ships and about 1200 men. The objective was to establish colonies and find gold and silver. In November they reached the Lesser Antilles. They reached the Navidad settlement where they found the fort in ruins and nobody alive. A new settlement was created nearby. He explored Jamaica and southern Cuba. In 1495 he took 1600 Arawak as slaves. In 1496 he left his brothers Bartholomew and Diego in charge of the settlement.

Third Voyage

The third voyage began on May 1498. There were only six ships. He found the island of Trinidad and the mainland of South America, including the Orinoco River. Initially, Colombus described the new lands as belonging to a previously unknown new continent, but later he took the position that they belonged to Asia. Many of the Spanish settlers of the new colony were unhappy as Colombus promise of riches had not materialized. A number of returned settlers and friars complained against Columbus ,charging him of mismanagement. The king and queen sent the royal administrator Francisco de Bobadilla in 1500. He arrested Columbus and his brothers and had them sent back to Spain in chains. However Colombus was released on arrival by the King and Queen of Spain.

Fourth Voyage

The fourth voyage began in 1502. Colombus sailed with four ships which held 140 men. He was accompanied by his younger son Ferdinand. He was 51 years old and quite ill. Colombus explored the coast of Central America. He tried in vain to find an opening between Cuba and South America to the Indian Ocean. He was refused entry to the colony at Hispaniola. In June 1503, he was stranded on Jamaica for a year. He was receiving food from the natives which they stopped. In a last ditched effort to get the natives to continue provisioning him and his hungry men, he impressed the natives by correctly predicting a lunar eclipse, using astronomic tables made by Rabbi Avraham Zacuto of Spain. It was on November 7, 1504 when Christopher Columbus set foot on Spain again and officially finished his last and most memorable voyage.