Archaeologists believe that they have found the wreck of Christopher Columbus’ flagship, the Santa Maria, at the bottom of the sea off the northern coast of Haiti in the Caribbean.
Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain in 1492 with three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and ‘discovered’ America.
While the Niña and the Pinta sailed back to Spain to report COlumbus’ discovery, the Santa Maria sank not far from the Columbus’ fort, according to Columbus’ diaries.
The site of this fort was recently uncovered, and by using that location as a guide, a team of divers and archaeologists led by Barry Clifford have found a wreck that strongly suggests it is from the lost Santa Maria, with Clifford telling the Independent:
“I am confident that a full excavation of the wreck will yield the first ever detailed marine archaeological evidence of Columbus’ discovery of America.”
