Christopher Columbus' flagship, capsized during his first voyage to America, the Santa María, might have been found on the beaches of northern Haiti, according to a team of marine explorers.
Through a press release, Massachusetts marine investigator Barry Clifford said that the geographical underwater topography and archaeological evidence suggest that the capsized ship might be the caravel that Columbus used during his travel in which he arrived at the New World.
"All the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus' famous flagship, the Santa María," said Barry Clifford. "I am confident that a full excavation of the wreck will yield the first-ever detailed marine archaeological evidence of Columbus' discovery of America," added the 68-year-old investigator who led the reconnaissance expedition to the site.
Clifford's team discovered the remains of the shipwreck in Haiti in 2003; however, they were unable to identified the ship and it was through data from the explorer's diary and the discovery of Columbus' camp that they were able to determine that the remains of the ship found on the seafloor might belong to the Santa María.
In an interview with CNN, Clifford assured that this is the ship that changed the course of human history and if its identity is confirmed, it would be one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries ever made.
"The ship is exactly where Columbus said it capsized over 500 years ago," Clifford said. "The shipwreck has been stuck in a reef off the northern coast of Haiti, 10 to 15 feet under the surface of the water."
In August 1492, Columbus left from Spain, looking to find a western route to China and India, but in October, 1492, the sailors arrived at the Caribbean islands, touching down for the first time in Hispaniola, the island located between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
In December of that year, the Santa María suffered an accident and got stuck on the island's coasts. Columbus returned to Spain on the two remaining ships, the Niña and the Pinta in January, 1493.
It's expected that with help from Haiti's government, the corresponding excavation will be carried out to rescue the ship.