An expedition team funded by the History Channel may have finally found the current whereabouts of the historic Santa Maria cargo ship. The doomed ship was one of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus during his first voyage.
It has been over five centuries since the Santa Maria sank under the waters of the Caribbean. When it was sunk, the Santa Maria was the flagship of Columbus' fleet. While it has been recorded that the ship sank somewhere in the Caribbean, the exact location of the wreck remained unknown until today. The expedition team believes that they may have finally found the location of the shipwreck. The ship's remains may now be resting in the sea floor off the northern coast of Haiti.
"All the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus' famous flagship, the Santa Maria," said Barry Clifford, the leader of the team tasked with finding the ship. "The Haitian government has been extremely helpful - and we now need to continue working with them to carry out a detailed archaeological excavation of the wreck." Clifford is also known as one of the leading experts in underwater archeological exploration.
Clifford said that the government of Haiti has been extremely cooperative with the team's efforts. After finding the possible location of the Santa Maria, the explorers will continue to work with the local government in order to conduct a more thorough investigation of the underwater wreck.
"We've informed the Haitian government of our discovery - and we are looking forward to working with them and other Haitian colleagues to ensure that the site is fully protected and preserved. It will be a wonderful opportunity to work with the Haitian authorities to preserve the evidence and artefacts of the ship that changed the world," Clifford said.
Shortly after surveying the site, the team conducted a superficial and non-invasive investigation by taking photos and measurements of the site. However, identifying the ship's remains would not be possible without the previous work of archaeologists that published their findings back in 2003. The previous study hinted that the actual location of the Santa Maria was somewhere near a fort constructed by Columbus in the area. Along with the study, the expedition was able to narrow down the possible locations of the wreck with the help of Columbus' entries in his diary.
While historians and archaeologists are excited about the prospect of conclusively identifying the wreck as that of the Santa Maria, it is not entirely a new discovery. Clifford and his team have already surveyed the wreck in a previous expedition back in the year 2003. Only a closer examination of currently known facts hinted at the possibility that the wreck may be the Santa Maria.
