| New inventions discovered during the 15th century meant the sailor now had the tools he needed to travel long distances. |
First came the compass, which apparently came from the East and was brought to Europe during the Crusades. During the 14th century this was steadily improved. Then came the astroloabe and the cross-staff, which enabled a seaman to find out his position by studying the sun, the moon and the stars.
At the same time, time-pieces were improved and the device called the log came about. The "log" was a piece of wood that could be thrown overboard. Attached to it was a line in which "knots" were made at certain intervals. By seeing how fast the line ran out, the sailor could calculate how fast his ship was travelling. Finally, the ships of the 15th century were greatly improved from previous attempts, they could now travel long distances much safer than before.
|