The Maritime Contributions of West African Shipbuilders to the Age of Exploration

The article explores the historical evidence and sources that show how West African shipbuilders helped European explorers build seaworthy ships in the 1400s. The Portuguese explorer, Prince Henry the Navigator, founded a school of navigation in Sagres, Portugal, in the mid-15th century. The school, known as the "Navigator's School," trained sailors and cartographers in the art of navigation and shipbuilding. Under the guidance of Prince Henry, the Portuguese established trade relations with West African kingdoms, which had developed advanced shipbuilding techniques from their extensive trade with Arabs and Berbers. The West African shipbuilders were skilled in constructing large wooden vessels, including caravels and carracks used by the Portuguese explorers, using traditional techniques like sewing planks together with fiber and caulking them with resin and pitch to make the ships watertight. European explorers of the time also wrote about the skill of West African shipbuilders in constructing large, seaworthy vessels. Archaeological evidence from West African shipwrecks further supports the advanced shipbuilding techniques used by West Africans in the 1400s.