In 13th-century Europe, Marco Polo's account of his 25 years of travel in the East, recorded in the book "The Travels of Marco Polo," was immensely popular. This book planted a fascination with the Orient in the minds of Westerners, which became a driving force for the long-distance voyages during the Age of Exploration between the 15th and 17th centuries. Ship design evolved from the smaller caravel to the larger carrack, more suitable for long voyages. You can observe the progression of ship development in the order of the model sailing ships on display.

First, exhibit #2, there are the models of “the Santa Maria” and “the Nina.” These two sailing ships were a part of explorer Christopher Columbus’s expedition when he set off on his first voyage from Spain in 1492 and eventually discovered the American continent. Examining each ship, the 'Nina' was a caravel, while the 'Santa Maria' was a carrack. The caravel, a sailing ship with triangular sails, was developed in Portugal. Its triangular sails were advantageous for using winds originating from different directions. Initially, in the 13th century, caravels were mainly used as small-scale fishing vessels but gradually evolved into coastal sailing ships.

The carrack, like the Santa Maria, evolved to address the shortcomings of the caravel. Carracks combined the use of triangular and square sails, enabling navigation with winds from all directions, including headwinds and crosswinds. They were especially suited for fast voyages across large oceans, utilizing strong seasonal winds. Carracks were also larger than caravels and so had increased cargo capacity compared to their smaller counterparts.

Next, let's examine Exhibit No. 4, the "Model of the Victoria." The 'Victoria' was one of the five ships used by the explorer Magellan for his circumnavigation of the world in 1519. During Magellan's voyage, the other four ships either deserted or were lost at sea, and only the 'Victoria' survived. In 1522, it returned to Spain with the last 18 survivors. Following the voyages of Columbus and Magellan, long-distance navigation for the purpose of discovering new lands and trade became a primary goal for many European countries. To facilitate the colonization of newly discovered lands, naval battle capabilities were improved, as seen in Exhibit No. 6, "Model of the Golden Hinde"(a galleon), Exhibit No. 7, "Model of the HMS Victory"(a ship of the line), and Exhibit No. 11, "Model of the Charles W. Morgan." During this period, warships saw the greatest advancement. In the 18th century, famous exploration ships like those shown in Exhibit No. 9, "Model of the Endeavour," and No. 10, "Model of the HMS Beagle," became popular. These ships were called barques and had three or more masts.

Finally, Exhibit No. 14, "Model of the Cutty Sark," often referred to as the last of the great clippers. This fast sailing ship, with its numerous sails, was a clipper built in mid-19th century Britain. Clippers like the Cutty Sark were vital for transporting tea from China to Britain between the 17th and the mid-19th centuries. However, with the advent of steam-powered vessels in the 19th century, the era of wind-dependent sailing ships began to wane. Clippers continued to compete with steamships until the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, which significantly shortened the distance for circumnavigating the globe and further advanced the dominance of steam-powered ships. As a result, sailing ships like clippers eventually faded into history.