Klaus Brinkbaumer

This book provides an interesting summary of Columbus and his four voyages to the "New World. " It also touches on the recovery of sunken vessels in the Caribbean. it is well researched and, while informative, is easy to read and understand. The disappointing aspect of the book is the fact that the mystery remained unsolved and the answer seemed to be pending; perhaps the authors ran short of time and could not hold off publication until the answer was certain. I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Columbus and his journeys, but not to those researching the possible retrieval of the Vizcaina.… (more)

The Age of Discovery, when Spanish ships sailed in hopes of discovery to the New World, took place over a very short time interval, no more than about 30 years. Columbus and subsequent seafarers used a type of ship called a caravel, which was extremely fast and manoueverable. However, we do not know what a caravel looked like, as no drawings have survived, or no remains have ever been conclusively found.

In the mid-1990s, ship remains were found near Belaporto in Panama. It was possibly the oldest shipwreck found in the Americas, and is possibly the remains of the Vizcaína, one of the caravels that Columbus took with him on his last voyage to the Americas.

The authors combine a story of modern maritime archaeology with an in-depth recounting of the story of Columbus. The whole myth of Coulmbus is investigated right from his early years in Genoa through to his four voyages of discovery to the New World. What we end up with is an informative and exciting story of exploration and human nature.… (more)