Vizcaína

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Vizcaína p1
Ship data
Ship type caravel
Whereabouts 1503 sunk
Ship dimensions and crew
 
crew 25 men
Rigging and rigging
Number of masts 3

The Vizcaína is one of the ships that Christopher Columbus lost on his fourth voyage in 1503 and whose wreck was possibly found in 2001 by the treasure diver Warren White in the bay of Nombre de Dios in Panama .

The ship

The Vizcaína was a caravel , a type of ship from the 15th century with a main mast and two or three smaller masts. Caravels were drawn up sharply at the bow and stern and were probably 18 to 22 meters long.

In addition to the flagship of Columbus, the La Capitana , the La Gallega and the Bermuda (actually Santiago de Palos ), the Vizcaína was the fourth ship in the fleet that started the fourth voyage . The Vizcaína is said to have had three masts and a capacity of 50 tons. This ship was owned by a citizen of Guetaria named Juan de Orquiva. It was chartered for this voyage for a monthly amount of 42,000 maravedís and commanded by Bartolomé Fiesco, a friend of Columbus.

The crew consisted of a boatman , eight seamen , ten cabin boys, the chaplain Fray Aljandro and three private individuals. There were a total of 25 people on the ship.

From the notes of Diego Méndez , who was loyal to Columbus, and of Columbus' son it is known that the shipworm sealed the fate of the Vizcaína (quoted from (1)):

“We stayed on our course until we reached Portobelo ; there we had to leave the Vizcaína behind because it absorbed a lot of water and its planks were completely perforated by the shipworm. "

This shell - type eating away the ships within a few months and was one of the biggest problems of the Spanish in the Caribbean.

Probable discovery

The shipwreck is said to have been discovered in 2001 in the bay of Nombre de Dios in Panama by the American diver Warren White and his son while they were looking for dive sites.

Some indications suggest that the wreck might actually be the Vizcaína . According to the unanimous opinion of the investigating archaeologists , it is Spanish, it consists only of wood and has no metal fittings. In 1508, however, the Spanish royal family issued a decree that from now on every ship that wanted to sail to the New World had to be shod with metal on the outside because of the ship's drilling worm. In the remains of the plank of the Nombre de Dios wreck, the researchers actually found holes that could have come from those shipworms.

On the other hand, an age determination only resulted in a laboriously fitting age. Also, the design of the ship does not correspond to what is known about the historical Vizcaína .

Archaeological evidence

The wreck is currently (2004) investigated by underwater archaeologists from Texas A&M University and the Institute of Nautical Archeology (INA) with the support of the Hamburg news magazine Der Spiegel .

Due to its good state of preservation, the wreck offers the unique chance, even if it is probably not the Vizcaína , to gain knowledge about shipbuilding in the late 15th century. Almost no details are known about the ships of that time, such as the Caravel. There are no blueprints for the ships and all known representations were made around 60–80 years later, when this type of ship was no longer in use.

The location

In September 2003, Dr. Donny Hamilton, President of the INA, and Dr. Filipe Castro of Texas A&M University removed the wreck and began preparations for the excavation. The wreck lies at a depth of about 4.5 to 6 m and the surrounding area consists of a pile of ballast stones on an area of ​​about 60 m², about 10 by 6 meters, with three large anchors and at least 16 iron cannons , 13 Falconettas and three mortars .

Most of the hull is protected under the ballast stones. The planks are 6 cm thick and the ribs measure 27 by 7 cm. According to the scientists, the number of cannons found, the size of the beams and the anchors means that the wreck belongs to a larger ship than the 50-ton Vizcaína is said to have been.

Age determination

The wood of the wreck was determined to be Northern European oak . This type of wood was used very often by Spanish shipbuilders and imported into Spain from the Baltic States .

The age of a wood sample from the ship could not be dated using dendrochronology due to the insufficient number of annual rings . Therefore an age determination with the help of the C14 method became necessary. This revealed a period from 1469 to 1487, during which the tree was felled. The Vizcaína sank in 1503 . The investigating scientist Prof. Pieter Meier Grootes from the Leibniz Laboratory for Isotope Research and Age Determination at the University of Kiel said of this research result (quoted from (1)):

“It doesn't prove that the ship belonged to Columbus, but it does indicate that it could have belonged to Columbus. In any case, it doesn't prove that it couldn't have belonged to him. "

To verify the results of the first examination, a second piece, this time by a catcher , was examined. This sample showed the period from 1530 to 1550 for the origin of the wood. This temporal distance between timbers in a ship is not unusual in that planks were made from significantly larger trees and the first sample came from the inside, older, part of a trunk. Nevertheless, this investigation result is an indication against the identification as a ship of the Columbus fleet, since a ship made of wood from around 1540 cannot have sunk as early as 1503.

The investigations of the two different wood samples of the hull were carried out by different laboratories and together confirmed the dating of the ship to the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Spanish researchers have already examined black deposits that had been discovered on clay jugs from the wreck. The analysis showed that it is olive oil from Andalusia . It was there that Columbus had his ships equipped.

Summary

Ultimately, it can only be proven with the help of irrefutable evidence, for example in the form of a find such as the ship's bell with the name of the ship, whether the wreck is actually the Vizcaína . What is certain is that it is a ship of the very early exploration of America.

Further exploration

At the beginning of September 2004, the Panamanian Supreme Court decided by urgent decision at the urging of scientists that no dives may be carried out on the wreck for the time being. The wreck was previously uncovered by a treasure diving company, so there is a risk of it falling apart. In addition, some cannons from the wreck that are currently in water basins have already been removed. In addition, the wreck that is now exposed in the water can reveal important scientific traces, e.g. B. pollen and other small parts are destroyed.

The experts at Texas A&M University want to ensure that the wreck is recovered cleanly, scientifically examined and exhibited in Panama after a restoration, that they receive approval for salvage from the Panamanian authorities.

Quote from Clemens Högens during the chat on zdf.de on September 26, 2004:

“The archaeologists involved are currently trying to obtain a rescue permit against the governor's declared will. But Panama is a third world. There is an unbelievable tussle behind the scenes at the moment. It's about power, prestige and also money. "

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