Archaeologist likely solves 500-year-old mystery of Christopher Columbus’s missing Santa Maria

The story begins, as many do on the high seas, with a party.It was Christmas Eve, 1492. The setting: Christopher Columbus’s Santa María, the flagship vessel that he had commandeered to visit the New World. One by one, the crew fell asleep until only a cabin boy was left steering the ship in the Caribbean Sea.

Soon, the boy crashed the ship into a coral reef off of the northern coast of Hispaniola, or near Cap Haitien in Haiti. The ship sank to the bottom of the sea, and the crew spent that Christmas saving Santa María‘s cargo. Afterward, Columbus boarded one of his other ships, the Nina, and the explorers sailed back to Spain, leaving behind the wreckage of the Santa María – fueling a 500-year-old mystery over its remains.

That mystery has likely been solved.

Archaeologist Barry Clifford says he’s discovered the remains off Haiti’s coast. ”All the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus’s famous flagship, the Santa María,” he told the Independent in an article published Tuesday.

 

This wouldn’t be Clifford’s first major discovery. In 1984, the renowned underwater archaeologist discovered the Whydah — possibly the only verified pirate shipwreck ever discovered — after years of searching. It was under just 14 feet of water and 5 feet of sand and contained, among other treasures, 10,000 coins and 400 pieces of gold jewelry.

There is reason for such confidence. The discovery, the Independent reports, was prompted by a batch of 2003 discoveries that suggested the probable location of Columbus’s fort nearby. Clifford cross-referenced that work with data in Columbus’s diary to pinpoint the location of the shipwreck.
Sounds pretty easy. Why wasn’t the vessel discovered before?

It actually was. Clifford’s team photographed the wreck more than a decade ago, but didn’t then realize what it was. Only after reexamining those photographs and newer images captured this month has Clifford figured out the wreck’s probable origin.

The evidence: According to photographs, the vessel’s design is consistent with Columbus’s era, and it had a cannon like the one on the Santa María. Also, the wreck’s location and topography matches Columbus’s description. More striking, the wreck’s footprint appears to coincide with what would remain of a vessel the size of the Santa María.