1:144 Santa Catarina do Monte Sinai
- Portuguese Man-Of-War
16th Century
Item #HL202/06

147 pieces
Recommended for ages 12 and older
Made in USA

History of the Santa Catarina
Built in the Portuguese controlled town of Kochi, India around
1512, the Santa Catarina do Monte Sinai was a higher-castled
carrack.

Launched eight years later for the Kingdom of Portugal, she was
well-armed with 140 cannons and two square rig masts.

In 1524, the carrack sailed as master navigator Vasco da Gama's
flagship on his third voyage to India. On its return trip,
heavily laden with East Indian goods, the ship disappeared en
route to Portugal, after departing from India in April 1525. She
had reportedly been springing leaks, and had been battered by a
tempest.

There were many rumors concerning her fate, one including a
mutiny by someone who later became a pirate. Another rumor stated
that it had been seized by French corsairs somewhere off West
Africa, easily taken because of her dangerously unseaworthy
condition due to storm damage.