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Site of 1503 shipwreck tied to Vasco da Gama found off Oman Site of 1503 shipwreck tied to Vasco da Gama found off Oman
(35 minutes later)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Archaeologists say they’ve discovered the site where a ship, which was part of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gamma’s fleet, sank off the coast of modern-day Oman in 1503. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The 500-year-old wreckage of Portuguese ship piloted by an uncle of explorer Vasco da Gama has been found off the coast of Oman, archaeologists said Tuesday, a discovery that included the recovery of an incredibly rare coin.
They say debris discovered off Oman’s al-Hallaniyah Island includes an incredibly rare silver coin called an Indio, of which only one other is known to exist. They believe the wreckage likely comes from a ship called the Esmeralda, which sank in a violent storm in May 1503, killing all onboard. The Esmeralda sank during a violent storm near al-Hallaniyah Island in the Indian Ocean in May 1503, killing commander Vicente Sodre and all those aboard.
The archaeologists announced their findings in an article published by The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. Beginning in 2013, a team from the British company Blue Water Recoveries and the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture explored a site in the island’s Ghubbat ar Rahib Bay. They later determined the debris found there came from the long-missing ship, one of two lost in the storm from da Gama’s second voyage to India.
Ayoub al-Busaidi, the supervisor of marine archaeology at the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the discovery also shows the long history of his country in international trade. Among the stone shot, ceramics, a bell and other debris, divers discovered an incredibly rare silver coin called an Indio, of which only one other is known to exist today, said David L. Mearns, the director of Blue Water Recoveries. The coins were forged in 1499 after da Gama’s first voyage to India, which helps date the wreckage, he said.
“That was an amazing discovery,” Mearns said. “It was like a thing you read about in a Hollywood story.”
The archaeologists announced their findings in an article published Tuesday by The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.
Ayoub al-Busaidi, the supervisor of marine archaeology at the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture, said this marked the first underwater excavation carried out by his country. He said it inspired officials to continue to explore the waters around the sultanate for other finds.
“Oman is now looking at outside archives to read about the relationships and trade between Oman and the outside” world, al-Busaidi said.
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Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.