The term 'NINA' or 'PINTA' refers to two of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage to the Americas in 1492. The crossword solutions for these terms are 'CARAVEL' (7 letters) and 'SHIP' (4 letters). A CARAVEL is a type of small, light sailing SHIP that was popular during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was used by the Portuguese and Spanish for exploration and trade. The term 'SHIP' is a general term for any large vessel designed for navigation on the open sea.