5 CENTURIES OLD!
In 2003, underwater explorer Barry Clifford discovered a shipwreck off the coast of Haiti. He and his team took lots of photographs of the shipwreck and even brought up a cannon from under the sea. His investigations did not lead him anywhere then.
9 years later, when Clifford did some research into cannons, he realized that his discovery was "the Mount Everest of shipwrecks". The shipwreck could be the remains of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus' ship from his first voyage to the Americas!
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who found North America for Europe. After Columbus, other Europeans began to explore and settle in America.
A portrait of Christopher Columbus. Source: Wikipedia via Metropolitan Museum of Art
The shipwreck was found in the area where Columbus said the Santa Maria ran aground (got stuck in shallow water) more than 500 years ago. According to Clifford, all evidence suggests that the shipwreck was Columbus' famous flagship, the Santa Maria.
This year, Clifford returned to the wreck with a team of experts and took careful measurements of the ship and more photographs. "This is the ship that changed the course of human history," he said.
More investigations need to be done before researchers can confidently say that the shipwreck was indeed Christopher Columbus' Santa Maria.
Another replica of the Santa Maria. Source: Wikipedia
The Santa Maria was one of three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. After a night of partying, Columbus ordered his crew to continue sailing late into the night. His crew members fell asleep one by one. Only a cabin boy was left to steer the ship. The Santa Maria finally ran aground off Haiti on 24 December 1492 and sank the next day.
Featured image: A replica of the Santa Maria. Source: Wikimedia Commons Miguel Ángel "fotógrafo"
