Wreckage of Lost Ship of Vasco da Gama is Found and Contains Thousands of Artifacts

A ship which was a part of the legendary Vasco da Gama’s Portuguese fleet that reached India has been found close to Al Hallaniyah island, near the coast of Oman. According to the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, the ship is believed to be the Esmeralda, a ship from the second voyage led by Vasco da Gama (1502-1503).

According to National Geographic, the wreck was located in 1998, when scuba divers spent 20 minutes underwater and found an unknown wreck. The exploration started fifteen years later. In 2013, a group led by David Mearns of the company Bluewater Recoveries Ltd. started work on the site. For two years, with the support of the Oman Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the National Geographic Society Expeditions Council, the group of underwater archaeologists explored the site.

Al Hallanyiah Island and an aerial photo of wreck site. (Esmeralda Shipwreck)