Christopher Columbus’ Discovery: On August 3, 1492, Columbus’ fleet of ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, left Spain. They sailed west in order to find the land of the Orient. On October 12, 1492, the crew sighted land, and they landed on an island that Columbus called San Salvador (“Holy Saviour”). Although Columbus made a great accomplishment in being one of the first to discover this New World, he firmly believed that he had found a trade route to the East.