A vessel which could have been that of Christopher Columbus has been identified off the coast of Haiti.
The shipwreck is thought to be the remains of the Santa Maria on which Columbus and his crew sailed to the New World in 1492, according to hopeful experts.
The Santa Maria was the flagship of a fleet of three which departed from near Huelva in Spain and sailed past the coast of the Algarve on its way.
But on the return voyage, the Santa Maria drifted into a reef near the Bahamas and was abandoned. The two remaining vessels, the Nina and the Pinta, brought the crew back to Spain.
The wreck was first identified in 2003 by a marine investigator but the team was not able to get into the decayed remains to seek proof.
In the meantime, some remains uncovered on land are believed to be those of a fort built by the sailors at the time the Santa Maria was lost, adding a further indication to the diary notes made by Columbus about his location.
Renewed attempts will be made to enter the wreck, which is 10 to 15 feet below the surface.
Columbus was sponsored by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I, the same duo who unleashed the Inquisition on Spain in the same year of 1492. The Reyes Católicos (Catholic Monarchs) were hoping to find a westward route to East to benefit from gold, spices, and other material goods.
