A shipwreck that has come to light may be one of the ships of Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama, who pioneered voyages in the Indian Ocean 500 years ago, archaeologists say. Archaeologists suspect that the specific wreck is of a ship, which may have been one of the ships of the flotilla with which da Gama made his last mission.
The ship’s findings, which were discovered off the coast of Kenya near the town of Malindi in 2013, are one of eight known Portuguese shipwrecks from the same period in the area. Scholars speculate that it may be the ship São Jorge, which sank in 1524, although its identification remains unconfirmed.
The uncertainty about the wreck
If the wreck is the São Jorge, then it would be the oldest European shipwreck found in the Indian Ocean, but “we’re not sure,” according to Filipe Castro, a marine archaeologist at the University of Coimbra in Portugal and lead author of the new study that describes the recent work, as reported by Live Science.
According to the survey, which was published on November 18 at Journal of Maritime ArchaeologyCastro and his colleagues now hope to confirm their identification, in part by conducting an archaeological study of the coral reefs that stretch north from Malindi to Ras Ngomeni, Kenya – a distance of nearly 25 kilometers.
Where was the wreck found?
The wreck was found at a distance of about 500 meters from the coast, at a depth of about 6 meters. At the bottom, few parts are visible among the coral, but Castro, along with the other divers, excavated pieces of wood from the ship’s hull and frame in two archaeological trenches they created at the sunken site.
Vasco da Gama (c. 1469 to 1524) pioneered the route from Europe to the Indian Ocean in 1497, when his ship was the first to round the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost tip of Africa.
The Portuguese navigator made three more voyages on this route before dying in India in 1524, possibly of malaria, while his explorations formed the basis of the Portuguese commercial empire in the Indian Ocean.
Portugal, India and the shipwreck
The São Jorge was one of about 20 ships that made up Vasco da Gama’s armada on his last voyage in 1524, but it sank shortly before his death. The new study suggests that this was one of two earlier Portuguese ships sunk near Malindi. The other was the Nossa Senhora da Graça, which sank in 1544.
If the wreck near the town of Malindi is identified as the São Jorge, it will acquire “great historical and symbolic importance as the tangible evidence of the presence of Vasco da Gama’s third armada in the Kenya Sea”Castro said, earlier in 2024.
«I think this is a unique wreck.” he told Live Science. “It’s a treasure.”
The mystery surrounding the wreck
The Kenyan authorities have expressed their interest in the Malindi shipwreck, Castro informs, and thus a maritime archeology museum may be created at the site.
The wreck was discovered in 2013 by Caesar Bita, a marine archaeologist with the National Museums of Kenya, who recovered copper ingots and ivory from the sunken site. Bita is now contributing to the ongoing research, Castro explains.
The wreck, if identified as the São Jorge, will be “archaeological stardust”according to Sean Kingsley, a marine archaeologist and editor of Wreckwatch magazine, who is not involved in the project.
“Kenya was a way station for the exploration and exploitation of the dazzling wonders of the Indies”, so any early European shipwrecks found there are “hot property”he told Live Science via email.
However, further archaeological research is necessary to clarify whether this was indeed one of da Gama’s ships. “The shipwreck is in urgent need of preservation, respect and protection, before its history is lost forever.” Kingsley stated.
Source: www.enikos.gr
