Christopher_Columbus_Mariner

Christopher Columbus Mariner CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS MARINER by: Samuel Eliot Morison Christopher Columbus was born in the port city of Genoa, Italy in 1451. His father was a wool weaver named Domenico Columbo. As a boy, Christopher had no schooling. He and his younger brother Bartholomew helped their father by carding raw wool. Christopher grew up to be a tall, red-haired, quiet and deeply religious man. He worked for his father until he was 22. He went out with the sardine fishing fleets, as other Genoese boys did and he sailed along the coast to Corsica on business for his father. Genoese traders had their own schooners as did Christopher Columbus’ father. He made at least one trip to the North African coast. On long trips such as these, Christopher learned the elements of seamanship. In 1476, Columbus sailed as a common seaman aboard a Genoese merchant ship that was headed for Lisbon, England and Flanders. Since the Mediterranean nations were at war at the time, the ship Columbus was on was attacked and went down. Luckily, Columbus was able to swim to shore and make his way to Lisbon where he settled. At this time Portugal was the world’s greatest seafaring nation. Many columbus, christopher, ships, made, father, time, portuguese, men, genoese, spain, son, ship, sea, route, portugal, palos, one, lisbon, king, world, west, two, three, sailed, plan, pinta, over, new, make, left, john, islands, first, ferdinand, expedition