Gloria Ayee
Staff Writer
One of the most significant underwater discoveries in history has been made, following the detection of a wrecked vessel after five centuries! Recent reports indicate that one of Christopher Columbus’ ships, the Santa Maria, has been found. The Santa Maria was the largest vessel in the fleet of the three ships that Christopher Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo) used during his first voyage to the Americas.
The Santa Maria (La Santa Maria), or La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción (translated from Spanish as The Holy Mary of the Immaculae Conception), has been missing for over 500 years since it sank off the coast of Haiti in December 1492. Barry Clifford, an undersea explorer and renowned archaeological investigator, believes that his team has located the ship at the bottom of the ocean off Haiti’s north coast.
In an interview with The Independent, Clifford said: “All the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship, the Santa Maria.” Clifford, who is a the leader of the expedition team that has been searching for the ill-fated vessel, also praised the Haitian authorities who have played an instrumental role in this reconnaissance mission: “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,” he said.
Clifford and his team have been working to locate the Santa Maria for over a decade. They first located and photographed the wreck in 2003, using sophisticated side-scan sonar equipment, marine magnetometers, and a team of divers. Re-examining the photographic evidence from the initial discovery led to the archaeological team’s announcement that the discovery of the vessel is consistent with the information they have on record about Columbus’ ship.
Clifford has indicated that he would like any existing remnants of the Santa Maria to be put on permanent exhibition in a museum in Haiti after the excavation process.
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