海地沿岸發現哥倫布的旗艦聖瑪麗號

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

コロンブスのサンタマリア号、ハイチ沖で発見か

2014年05月15日 10時34分

　【サンパウロ＝吉田健一】中米ハイチ沖で見つかった沈没船の残骸が、探検家コロンブスが１４９２年に米大陸に到達した際に乗っていた船団の旗艦サンタマリア号の可能性が高いと、米国の海洋探検家らが１４日、ニューヨークで発表した。

　この探検家はマサチューセッツ州のバリー・クリフォード氏（６８）。ＡＰ通信などによると、同氏らは２００３年、ハイチ北方沖の水深約４・５メートルの浅瀬で、１５世紀のものとみられる大砲など沈没船の残骸を発見。コロンブスの日記と突き合わせた結果、「地理的、考古学的なあらゆる証拠が、この船がサンタマリア号の残骸であることを強く示唆している」と結論づけた。

　大砲はその後、何者かに持ち去られたが、船は大半が原形をとどめ、ハイチ政府が許可すれば引き揚げ可能という。サンタマリア号は１４９２年、ハイチ沖で座礁。コロンブスは船を放棄し、僚船でスペインに戻ったとされる。

(試譯文)

   About the wreckage of a sunken ship found off the Central America Haiti, the oceanographic explorers in the U.S. announced in New York on the 14^th (May) that the possibility was high that it was the flagship Saint Mary of a convoy on which explorer Columbus had ridden when he arrived at the U.S. continent in 1492.

   This explorer was Mr. Barry Clifford (68) of the State of Massachusetts. According to the Associated Press etc., the said person in 2003 discovered the wreckage of a sunken ship, such as a gun at a depth about 4.5 meters north off  Haiti, and believed that it was a thing of the 15th century. From the result in comparing with Columbus's diary, it was concluded that "all geographical and archaeological proof has suggested strongly that this ship is the wreckage of the Saint Mary".

   Although since then the guns were taken away by someone, most of the original form of the ship was retained; if the Haiti government gave the permission, it was said that raising it up was possible. The Saint Mary ran on a rock off Haiti in 1492. Columbus abandoned the ship and returned to Spain in a consort ship.

It is an interesting historical discovery.