pictures of nina pinta santa maria ships

Pictures of nina pinta santa maria ships how to#
Pictures of nina pinta santa maria ships series#

'No one has yet been able to determine convincingly what happened to Pinta and Niña after their return to Europe,' he adds. 'The only vessel lost out of the First Fleet was Santa Maria,' notes Keith. We only really know the fate of one of the three ships. and former director of maritime heritage for NOAA. 'It's a search veritably for three needles in a haystack,' observes James Delgado, vice-president at Search Inc. Another important tool, the magnetometer, detects metallic remains underwater, but since ships of this period used little metal in their construction, they can 'hide very well' in a search, he adds. Even then, what remains would be hard to find.Īrchaeologists use side-scan sonar as a primary tool to find shipwrecks on the sea bottom, but if a wreck is buried under feet of sediment, sonar can be 'simply blind' to it, says Cook. 'That bay has changed so much,' he observes. Anne's Bay, Jamaica, describes coring though 20 feet of sediment to find evidence of the historic landscape. Greg Cook, an archaeologist who has searched for the remains of ships from Columbus's Fourth Fleet in St. 'Ships lost in cold, dark, deep water have a much better chance of staying intact and maintaining their 'time capsule' value.' The landscape has radically changed since Columbus's time.Ĭenturies of tropical storms, changes in land use, and deforestation have significantly altered the coastlines Columbus once navigated. Also known as shipworms and 'termites of the sea,' these creatures can devour an exposed wooden wreck within a decade and are the arch-nemesis of underwater archaeologists working in the region.Īny wooden vessel that resisted the predations of shipworms would also have to survive five centuries of tropical storms and hurricanes in shallow waters, observes Donald Keith, an archaeologist who has searched for Gallega, a ship from Columbus's Fourth Fleet which disappeared in 1503. The warm waters of the Caribbean are paradise for teredo worms, which are actually mollusks with a voracious appetite for wood. Here are some of the reasons why finding the remains of the First Fleet is so difficult: The conditions are lousy for ship preservation. While generations of school children have sung of the adventures of the ' Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria too,' the remains of Columbus' history-making First Fleet-as well as those of his subsequent three expeditions-remain undiscovered, despite decades of dedicated searching by archaeologists and shipwreck hunters alike.

Pictures of nina pinta santa maria ships series#

Instead, his crew sighted land in the Caribbean on October 12, 1492, setting in motion a series of events that would lead to the European colonization of the New World. Viewed online at (copy and paste image page link).This year marks the 525th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's first Transatlantic expedition, a voyage that the Italian explorer expected would take him to Asia. Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, Creator, Title, Image ID. Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research Citation Viewed online at (copy and paste image page link). Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Image ID.

Pictures of nina pinta santa maria ships how to#

How to Citeįor the purposes of a bibliography entry or footnote, follow this model: Wisconsin Historical Society Citation Visual materials in the Archives do not circulate and must be viewed in the Society's Archives Research Room.

Use the links below to plan your visit to the Society's Archives. Print out this index page and present it to the librarian. To view this image, visit the Archives Research Room on the 4th floor at the Society Headquarters building in Madison, WI. Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Image-purchasing questions? Please Contact Us. For commercial or non-profit use, please contact Image Sales.īy clicking 'BUY' you agree to our Terms of Use.