Why? To prevent others from exploiting his discoveries.įinally, it’s unlikely that any of the wooden parts of the ship have survived after all these years. And, most frustrating of all, perhaps, Columbus occasionally fudged his navigational records. Again, it represents how things looked to him 500 years ago rather than in the present. Next, there’s the evidence in Columbus’ own hand: his map of the coastline where the ship supposedly sank. It’s entirely possible, indeed, likely that reefs encountered by Santa Maria have shifted significantly over time, altering or moving the wreck. … The planking opened.” Any discovery should be consistent with these descriptions, but so far no information about that is forthcoming.Īnd then we also have to account for erosion – tides and hurricanes – changing the shoreline and the reef over half a millennium. That’s a summary of what we know, and the wreck should take these factors into consideration to be considered authentic.įor starters, Columbus described in his log how the mainmast of the ship was cut away, and, as he wrote, “she lay on her beam ends. Columbus managed to rescue everyone – in fact, he never lost anyone at sea in his eight transatlantic crossings – and to gather valuable items from the ship before it sank into an estimated 15 to 25 feet of water. (The outward-bound trip had taken just 33 days, a testament, in part, to Columbus’ navigational genius.) Columbus said he stretched out for a nap at this time.Īs the fleet traversed the northern coast of what is now Haiti, the ship’s master turned over the tiller to a 14-year-old ship’s boy, and soon after Santa Maria ran into a reef and began to disintegrate. On Christmas Eve 1492, crew members of all three ships were celebrating, drinking and looking forward to a speedy voyage home to Spain. The story of this wreck is well-known, and documented by Columbus himself. No one doubts that he led some of the most important voyages of discovery ever undertaken, and that’s why the fate of Santa Maria matters today. Love him or hate him, Columbus made a difference. Other families lost multiple members of their family, including the Turners of NSW, whose three young sons Sidney, Dudley and Daryl all enlisted together in Australia's first commando group.As the author of “Columbus: The Four Voyages,” which surveys the explorer’s career, I was naturally drawn to this remarkable find – if that’s what it is. There are 200 boys in this hospital and I must stay and do what I must to look after them.'" "Arthur Parry shook his head and said, 'I cannot go. ", 'The situation is grim, would you like to come with us? Do you have any other escape avenues?'" read the article, which was saved by Colwyn Parry and passed on to his daughter after his death six years ago. He declined evacuation when the situation grew more serious, according to a 1958 article retelling the story of the Japanese Army's arrival in Rabaul. "He always talked about his father as being loving, as being a bit of a jokester."ĭr Parry had been working in Papua New Guinea for the local health department, and was not allowed to return to Australia when the war broke out, instead staying on as a doctor in Rabaul and Kokopo. She said her grandmother and her father, just 13 years old when Dr Parry went missing, waited years to find out what happened.Īrthur Parry's family received a telegram announcing the death years later. The discovery has come as a form of closure for families, including Noosa woman Cathy Parry-McLennan, whose grandfather Arthur Parry was a radiologist on the ship when it went down. "We hope that will bring back still more clues as to the succession of events." 'Hugely emotional' moment for families "As we speak, the is conducting a more detailed search of the debris field underneath the ship," he said. He added there was still a lot of work to do to unpack the information revealed by the scans and underwater vehicles. "Then, when we got the information back from, there were the obstacles on the bottom very recognisable as the Montevideo Maru." "The sea bed was actually delightfully, boringly flat, which was great because then it meant anything we might find would stand out and be easy to identify. " allowed us to program an autonomous underwater vehicle so that it could then fly at a constant height over the sea bed," he said. The team conducted "bottom contour mapping" to initially locate the Montevideo, Mr Turner said. Gunner Thomas Gordon, bombardier Francis James Heriot and gunner Peter Biden were among the POWs taken on board the ship.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |