The Santa Maria, one of Christopher Columbus' famous trio of ships, may have been found recently, and work is underway to determine whether it has.
British source the Independent recently reported on the possible discovery, which centers on a shipwreck found recently near Haiti. If it turns out that this is indeed the real craft, it could be a culmination of years of investigation, an explorative effort that has required the use of a complex array of equipment and dive work, the source notes.
Although the identity of the wreck has yet to be confirmed, Barry Clifford, the lead of the expedition that discovered it, firmly believes that this is indeed what he has found, based on previous underwater photos captured. The research team will be working with local Haitian authorities to preserve the ship's remains while finding out more about it.
Not everyone appears to be convinced that this is the famous ship itself. Writing for CNN, Laurence Begreen notes that there are inconsistencies with the findings of Clifford's expedition and what we should expect the Santa Maria to look like.
"Clifford has pointed to "ballast" in the form of stones from the ship as evidence to identify Santa Maria," he mentions. "But ships in those days probably didn't have stone ballast to steady them; heavy cargo such as wine casks served the same function."
When it comes to the wreck of a ship as well-known and historically significant as this, there is obviously a need to keep all of the relevant crew covered with professional diving insurance. This can be crucial when research expeditions involve lots of different participants and take place between different countries.