Columbus’s Santa Maria Found Off Haiti

This is going to be one of the most significant underwater discoveries in history, they're pretty much 100% sure that after more than five centuries, Christopher Columbus’s flagship, the Santa Maria, has been discovered lying at the bottom of the sea off the north coast of Haiti. “All the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship, the Santa Maria,” says Barry Clifford, the leader of a recent reconnaissance expedition to the site, one of America’s top underwater archaeological investigators.

So far, Cifford’s team has carried out purely non-invasive survey work at the site – measuring and photographing it. Tentatively identifying the wreck as the Santa Maria has been made possible by quite separate discoveries made by other archaeologists in 2003 suggesting the probable location of Columbus’ fort relatively nearby. Armed with this new information about the location of the fort, Clifford was able to use data in Columbus’ personal diary to work out where the wreck should be. An expedition, mounted by his team a decade ago, had already found and photographed the wreck – but had not, at that stage, realized its probable identity. 

The Santa Maria was built in the second half of the 15 century in northern Spain’s Basque Country. In 1492, Columbus hired the ship and sailed in it from southern Spain’s Atlantic coast via the Canary Islands in search of a new western route to Asia. After 37 days, Columbus reached the Bahamas – but, just over ten weeks later, his flagship, the Santa Maria, with Columbus on board, drifted at night onto a reef off the northern coast of Haiti and had to be abandoned. Then, in a native village nearby, Columbus began building his first fort – and,  a week later, leaving many of his men behind in the fort, he used  his two remaining vessels to sail back to Spain in order to report his discovery of what he perceived as a new westerly route to Asia  to his royal patrons, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.

The investigation into the wreck is being supported by the American TV network, the History channel, which has secured the exclusive rights to produce a major television program on the subject. Stay tuned.