was any ship used for this exploration?
yes
Age of Discovery
 The Crown of Castile (Spain) sponsored the transatlantic voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Americas between 1492 and 1504, and the first circumnavigation of the globe between 1519 and 1522 by the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan (completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano). 
what factors contributed to the creation of the time period we call the middle ages It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. what is this last thing you mentioned? It  is an informal and loosely defined term for the period in European history in which extensive overseas exploration, led by the Portuguese, emerged as a powerful factor in European culture, most notably the European rediscovery of the Americas.
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Age of Discovery [SEP] Introduction
The Age of Discovery and later European exploration allowed the mapping of the world, resulting in a new worldview and distant civilizations coming into contact. At the same time, new diseases were propagated, decimating populations not previously in contact with the Old World, particularly concerning Native Americans. The era also saw the enslavement, exploitation, military conquest, and economic dominance and spread of european civilization and superior technology by Europe and its colonies over native populations.