The caravels were small and highly maneuverable ships. They were developed by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century for the exploration of the West African coast and the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails were the reason for its speed. Spanish and Portuguese made full use of these ships during the Age of Discovery. Caravel is derived from the Portuguese world Caravela. Until the fifteenth century the Europeans used Balinger cargo ships which used one mast and were fragile. The caravels had their origin in Portuguese fishing boats.The caravels were lighter and had up to four masts, they had average capacity of 60 tons and had ellipsoidal frame these factors made the ships highly maneuverable. Christopher Columbus also used this ship for his explorations.
