Name
of one of the ships of Vasco da Gama fleet that discovers the way by sea to
India.
"Berrio"
was a speedy latin caravel with 50 tonels (1 tonel = 850 litres) equivalent to
43 tones, three masts and thirty meters long.
Sailed
from Lisbon together with "S. Gabriel" and "S. Rafael"
ships with 90 tonels and also a provisions boat of 110 tonels, without name or
“S. Miguel”, on the July 8th 1497.
Being
the speediest of the fleet, "Berrio" caravel was the first to return
to Lisbon on the July 10th 1499, under the comand of Nicolau Coelho and with
Pero de Escobar as pilot; both navigators went later with D. Pedro Álvares
Cabral to the “official” discover of Brasil (1500).
This
sheep was sold to D. Manuel I, Portuguese King, by the owner D.
Manuel de Berrio, born in Lagos, Portugal, and fine pilot.
"Berrio"
caravel is represented on the actual 2.000$00 and 10.000$00 bills of the
Portuguese Republic and also in a collection of boxes of matches made by
Fosforeira Portuguesa.
"Berrio"
caravel has a 1/500 scale model in the Marine Museum in Lisbon.
"Berrio"
name is used again by the Royal Portuguese Navy on a ship with 400 tones built
in France in 1898, and lately (1930) transformed as hydrographic-ship used to
study Mozambique coast.
The
caravels "Bartolomeu Dias" and "Boa Esperança" built in
Viana do Castelo, Portugal, in 1988 and 1990 because of the 5th Centenary of
Portuguese Discoveries are copies with twenty meters and two masts. The first
was offered to South Africa where it can be seen in Mossel Bay and the second
belongs to APORVELA as sailing school sheep.
Recently
(1993) Portuguese Navy have a new “BERRIO”. The sheep was built in 1970 in the
United Kingdom and belongs to the Rover class, well known as solid and able to deal with bad sea
conditions.
Research
by Octavio Diaz-Berrio