vizcainatext

La Vizcaina

Investigative report based on

evidence and hypothesis

La Vizcaina

Long had I felt that the discovery of any of Christopher Columbus?s ships would be a great event historically and culturally? Listed are some of the points as to why I selected Panama for my investigative endeavor:

1) There are two ships reported as lost in Panama the Gallega and the Vizcaina.

2) The distance between the two lost ships is very close. From the Rio Belen and Portobelo is under a hundred miles.

Christopher Columbus the man

No one can know the man, Columbus, except through the porthole history provides. There are many books and essays written, stories told regarding the interesting life of this legend. Only under close examination of this man's presence on his fourth and final voyage of discovery can you begin to understand that time is slipping by him without his initial goal being accomplished, his elusive pass to East Indies.

By the social standards of the time of his fourth voyage, Columbus was a ripe old man of 52. He suffered from gout, arthritis and is thought to have had malaria coupled with self-pity for his assumed failure to produce the eagerly sought path to the east. The crews were on the verge of mutiny as he stopped in Nombre de Dios, Nov 9, 1502 on his way along the coast of the Isthmus. Thecrews were filled with the stories and successes of Columbus's rivals who had slandered him to achieve their goals. His officers and men couldn't quite keep their minds off the exquisite golden breastplates they had witnessed the indigenous warriors wearing far back up the coast in a land called Veragua.

It is suggested that he had fits of hallucinations and one of the best examples I can give is in a letter to the King and Queen of Spain. He wrote, ?For nine days I was lost without hope of life: eyes never saw the sea so high, so rough, so covered with foam. The wind did not allow us to go forward, nor to run under any headland. There was I held, in a sea turned to blood, boiling as a cauldron on a mighty fire. Never did the heavens appear more terrible. For a day and a night they blazed like a furnace, and the lightning darted forth in such flashes that I wondered every moment whether it had destroyed my masts and sails; the flashes came with such terrifying fury that we all believed the ship must be consumed. All this while the water from heavens never ceased; it can not be said that it rained but rather that there was a second universal deluge. The crews were already so broken in spirit that they longed for death as a release from such martyrdom. The ships had already twice lost
their boats, anchors and rigging, and were stripped bare, without sails. No one else's accounts of this period of
time on the fourth voyage wrote of such horrific events, not even his thirteen-year-old son, Ferdinand
I take this apocalyptic saga as a sign of his failure to produce the passage to the East he so reverently pursued and to give excuse. Also, he looked for a way to make amends with his benefactors, for his assumed failures and to ease tension with his crew. The only way to do this was to produce gold for all appetites. While his thoughts must have looked to the possibility of a future voyage, a fifth, that was halted by illness and Christopher Columbus' death. His tiny fleet made its way back up the coast, stopping again at Nombre de Dios before continuing on to the mouth of the Rio Belen

So, on January 6, 1503 he pulled his ships across the sand bar at the mouth of the river. Once in the lea of the river he was set for the next option, gold; enough gold to make the King forget his shortcomings and grease the wheels of politics for a fifth voyage

Investigation

Rio

Columbus failed miserably in his attempt at establishing a colony at the mouth of the Rio Belen. What he had accomplished was a serious alienation of the native peoples in that area. After his misunderstanding the actions of the locals and their intent toward his presence, Columbus ordered the taking, by force, Quibian and the Cacique's entire family. The ensuing drama ended up as the cause of the majority of the Chief's family's
demise, with only Quibian and a couple of others escaping.

Understanding human nature I drew on my own experiences of inter-family relations. That being, I can fight with my sister or brother but no one else can. I would only think that the stories of the Spanish encounter at the Rio Belen would have been spread in either direction by the Indians. As a warning to others to be leery and an offer no doubt was forth standing from Quibian himself that he would join in any action taken against the foreigners

Thus Columbus's rift with the native Chief, Quibian, could only put him at risk anywhere within 100 miles of the Rio Belen. One other enemy was never far from his thoughts, I am sure, and that enemy being the teredo worms that quietly consumed his ships. The Gallega was in such a bad state that he was forced to abandon it in the vicinity of Rio Belen.

Donald Keith, PHD in undersea archeology spent nearly six months in the area of the Rio Belen searching for the Gallega. In this endeavor he utilized all the technological equipment that the University  of Austin could muster to locate the ship; it is just not to be found anywhere in the mouth of the Rio Belen.

Portobelo

Columbus then turned east and cleared this area of confrontation. He needed a safe port where he could make the decision of what to do and to tend his ailing ships. The Vizcaina at this point was being hand pumped 24hrs a day and the efforts to keep her afloat were supplemented by men with buckets.

Historically, Portobelo is mentioned as the site of demise for the Vizcaina. Although, officially Columbus acknowledged only that he was forced to abandon her near Portobelo. I have serious doubts that he would have chosen to strip her inside the bay from a tactical approach. Should his troubles with Quibian choose to follow him there he would be at a risk of capture or destruction should the natives turn hostile. The fact being, he was no more than a day run by a healthy runner carrying news of the events that transpired at the Rio Belen.

I think that safe repair or abandonment at Portobelo would be a difficult choice given the fact that the harbor housed one of the largest indigenous populations in the area. Also, the bay would present him with a risk of being cut off to open sea by numerous dugout canoes, should hostilities erupt there as they did at Retrete. Much of the terrain surrounding the bay would give the high ground to a possible enemy. From practical knowledge of history and sailing I was able to begin to formulate a hypothesis as to where the Vizcaina wasn?t.

There are a number of interesting shipwrecks in this area that I looked at and some of which I could determine their identity. Other ship's remains are a mystery and need further investigation for determination of what and who they were.

Isla Grande

I made many inquiries in this area seeking information of vessels? remains and was unable to find any that fit the necessary criteria. Ship remains do exist in this area but none that I looked at fit the description. Most wreck sites of ancient ships I visited gave evidence of 17th and 18th century construction and all sported the wrong application armament.

Nombre de Dios

Twice on his fourth voyage there is indication that Columbus sought refuge here in the bay or near by. The bay at Nombre is yet another death trap if the natives chose any offensive action. The bay is surrounded by land on all sides, with a small opening to the sea on the north side, which could be easily blocked to escape.

This small bay is not without its interest and or the absence of shipwrecks of antiquity. All these sites could very well open a window to the past times in that small Colonial Spanish settlement.

Playa Dama

Now, just outside the bay at Nombre de Dios is a quite little cove known now as Playa Dama. This cove would have fit Columbus?s need quite well. It is shallow, with a soft sand bottom and would offer fairly good protection from the weather. The adjacent beach is fringed with coconut trees and rimmed with white sand. The land behind the wreck site is mostly swampy marsh with one high hill to the southeast that could be utilized as defensive position with easy access back to the cove if needed. Here in this bay the remaining ships could ride safely at anchor with their backs to the open sea if a fast escape was needed.

This would seem a good defensible location that is over a one hundred miles from Chief Quibian's obvious fury and 20 miles from Retrete. This cove would meet my criteria for repairs or abandonment.

Through some of the journals there are strong indications that Columbus used this location at least twice on his fourth voyage. Not only from safety from the elements but to trade and take on much need supplies. The indigenous inhabitants in this area were described as friendly and there were no reported incidences with any of them there.

With repair or abandonment in mind this location would have served as a wet dock where the ailing Vizcaina could be repaired while resting safely in the soft sand bottom.

In four meters of water, badly eaten planks could be removed and replaced without an extreme amount of difficulty. The planks could be easily secured from the locals by exploiting the dug out canoes used by the Indians.

Ship remains in Playa Dama

In 1997, my two sons, Westly Scot White and Whitney A. White, and I came to this cove, Playa Dama, with all these thoughts in my mind emanating from my past research. We arrived late in the day with only a couple of hours before dark. My son, Wes suggested that we might swim to the shore and along the reef and look for some lobster. I thought this was a great idea and on our way, snorkeling in toward shore, we swam right over the remains of an old shipwreck. The first thing I saw was the Versos swivel gun lying on top of a heavily encrusted pile of other ancient weaponry. Off to the shoreward side of the wreck site was one Bombard cannon of the type I had seen before in a mid-fifteenth century etching. We were unable to do much more than to identify some of the weaponry that lay exposed around the site.

It was three months later before I could get back and take a serious look at the remains. On board my boat were my two sons and a friend I had met here in Panama. On that trip I managed to pick up a few stone cannon balls and find that the hull was fastened with wooden dowels in a manner conducive with extremely early shipbuilding and was able to see that she was not lead sheathed.

Within the matter of a couple of months after that trip I was able to speak with a local archeologist. I showed several people pieces that I brought back with me to indicate extreme antiquity of the site, in an attempt to draw attention to a site I thought could be a major find. I also informed the good doctor that the shipwreck was very old and appears to be an early 16th century ship. At that time I suggested that the ship could be the "Old Admiral's" himself. The situation was explained to me that Panama wasn't interested, nor did they have sufficient funds to peruse such an undertaking. There was an on going archeological dig at Panama Viejo that couldn?t be interfered with. At the time I offered the use of my vessel and all equipment if the government could provide diesel fuel. My offer was declined with a simple, "Panama just wasn?t interested."

It was four years before I could interest anyone in this ship. A representative of INAC approached me stating that she had been informed that I was extremely informative in regards to shipwrecks in Panama. In the course of my conversation with this representative I asked, "Would INAC be interested in an extremely early 16th century shipwreck that hasn't been touched or ruined." The representative was sincerely excited and said that they would put me in contact with a person who was representing the people that were funding this cultural venture.

In her excitement she states, "We can pay you for this."

I responded, "That's not necessary if this wreck site is going to Panama and it is my honor to give it to the country."

When I met Mr. Money from the investors I was informed that these North American benefactors could place me on retainer for my knowledge and expertise. All this was going to be handled by a local Panamanian salvage company of which they owned 70%.

I have to admit that after talking with this man speaking on behalf of these investors I was a little nervous. I have had experience dealing with treasure hunters in the past and this whole setup had the familiar marks of a Treasure Hunt.

The following week I was contacted and an arrangement was made to show the INAC rep the site. The Director General was due the next week to make announcement of its discovery to the media on board the salvage vessel, if the site had any promise. I felt somewhat better that a real Panamanian official was going to show up.

The only thing I wanted was the credit for its find and to be on location while the excavation was on going. To this I was assured that there was not a problem.

A Panamanian Marine launch was provided to go to the site. Several divers went down on the wreck and it was explained to me that they were INAC inspectors and at this point it all gets confusing. Later I found out that all of these inspectors were all related to the INAC rep.

I did not dive on the site that day and I wasn't impressed by what I was seeing as these inspectors and representative to INAC were bringing up bags of amphora shards and anything else that wasn?t tied down. I did voice an opinion that I felt that shouldn?t be done because archeological continuity was being disturbed. I was informed that it was necessary to have evidence in order to get the right people involved.

Then the big day at Nombre de Dios came there were perhaps a dozen people from many news agencies around the world. The local media hung heavy on the Director General's every word as he began to knit his tale of how he endeavored to locate this discovery. Although there was a mention locally of my name as the lobster diver that found the wreck I passed from the local scene as others gathered in an attempt to extract money. The rest of the world did hear a more accurate account of the facts then did the Panamanian people.

It never did really get any better. Beginning with the Director's involvement on 11 Nov. 2002, the day he was there to oversee and to be filmed helping pull artifacts on board the salvage vessel seemed to spurn everyone on all the more. Although respect was maintained for the area of the hull itself, everything else lying loose in the sand was brought up. With the little I had to work with I did attempt to map the site and enter the location of where the artifacts came from to the best of my ability.

From then on there were money demands on the northern investors by the local company and all the infighting on how to best exploit the wreck site for the most monetary gain possible.

I stayed affiliated with the northern investors because they promised to secure sufficient foundation monies to help rescue la Vizcaina. They gave me their guarantee that the most modern scientific means and people would be utilized in the rescue of this important site.

I was added to the board of directors of a newly formed corporation here in Panama by Mr. Money. This new company's main goal was going to be to champion the cause of rescuing la Vizcaina. All seemed to be progressing well until a new President took over from Mr. Money and we immediately took a dislike to each other. Through his maneuverings within the corporation I felt it necessary to resign.

Three days later I met with a local Panamanian lawyer and founded a corporation of my own that would guarantee the salvage and preservation of this delicate archeological site. It wasn't too long after the formation of my company that the northerners were back in contact with me attempting to convince me that all was a misunderstanding.

They pledged that we could work together for the common goal and that it was imperative we progress on together. These men have a lot of expertise and were in a position to find the necessary funding that would be needed. I felt safe in my own company to the point that I agreed to work with this group.

I contacted many agencies as well they did with a single minded purpose, to rescue this ancient site and others, or so I thought. We progressed along and I was informed that they had secured the guarantee from a prominent University in Indiana, USA for 4 million dollars. This was fantastic, more than enough monies to begin work in 2003. This is when I was notified that I would have to turn over all assets and control to the company I had found for this purpose of rescue. In this same e-mail I was also informed that the new project director, if I agreed, wanted to buy a 1.5 million dollar submarine to work in 16 foot of water. I declined to accept any further help from up north as well as broke off all relations in this matter.

Over the two years, since this discovery was made public, nothing has changed. The same fighting is still prevalent only the players are more centralized to the geographic area of this important archeological site. The only battle cry that should be heard is "SAVE la VIZCAINA"

Circumstantial evidence found salient

I think there is enough evidence surrounding this ship's demise that I could bring it before a State's Attorney to bring charges against Christopher Columbus for abandonment. The points are as follows:

1); The ship was never anchored; she was run in and grounded in the cove at Playa Dama. The anchors remain in the same position they were in 500 years ago, stowed for sea.

2); She is quite properly fastened with wooden pegs. Conducive to early ship construction.

3); By a royal decree in Spain, it was ordered in 1508 that all ships sailing to the New  World be sheathed in lead. There is an absence of this order on this ship.

4); Upon searching the area there isn't sufficient debris to suggest this ship was ever rigged for sail for the accouterments necessary for that purpose are not present in ample quantity, suggesting the ship was stripped of this equipment and carried away.

5); No personal effects have been located to show that the ship was ever inhabited.

6); Remains of turtle bones and coconuts were found under the coral and indicate they were placed there with care. The suggestion here is that the crew was foraging for their food. Again with Nombre de Dios just a kilometer away that would not have been necessary.

7); Two of the Versos swivel guns on the port side are loaded and ready for action. The servitors are in the ready position with the breach pin in place. It was not a common practice to sail around the seas with loaded weaponry. Moisture took serious toll on black powder; therefore these weapons were only made ready when use of them might be needed. So, we might assume that Columbus feared attack.

8); There is an over abundance of weapons on this ship indicating that she is overly armed at a ratio of at least two to one. Many of the weapons are in one conglomerate where they are cemented together by coral, it is my opinion that there is evidence that this ship is carrying the weapons of another ship as well as her own, perhaps that of the Gallega. This would explain why Dr. Keith didn?t find the Gallega. Most of the equipment he utilized would have been designed to search for ferrous metal. Although a proton magnitometer was utilized in the area to no avail.

9); Many of the weapons present on this wreck are of a 15th century application. Some of the artifacts so far recovered seem to be unique such as the bonze servitor with the touchhole to the right of the handle with a left side locking position. Most breach loading cannons that are known seem to be of an application with the touchhole right of the handle and a left side locking position. The 6-inch Bombard cannons used in a marine application are normally used as a land weapon.

10); Nombre de Dios first attempted settlement was in 1510 and at that time there would have been some evidence of the ship present but of no value after being in the sea seven years. Then, Nombre de Dios was successfully established with the second and more permanent attempt in 1519. The point here is that this ship would have been stripped of her valuable guns and anchors had there been a settlement present at the time the ship was grounded thus indicating that the wreck is before1519 and more probable before 1509. The only ship reported lost in this immediate area prior to 1519 is la Vizcaina.

11); The question could be asked; why couldn't this wreck come from a time after the abandonment of the town of Nombre de Dios in favor of the better site at PortobeloBay? Simply that the style of weapons found on this wreck was not in use much past 1560. The wrought iron weapons found on this site were not predominating on ships past the years around that date. Solid poured cannon out of cast iron became the main stay weapons used in a marine environment by 1600 and in the last 40 years of the 16th century they became more and more prevalent.

12); Further regarding the aborted attempt of Diego de Nicuesa in 1510 is the fact that he reported discovering the remains of the Vizcaina when he arrived to build his Capital. There is some confusion in this matter because he arrived at Portobelo first. When he sailed into PortobeloBay, the natives instantly attacked his expedition, killing twenty of his men. Because of native belligerents he chose to withdraw to Nombre de Dios. I would feel that the local attitudes of the indigenous in Portobelo would seriously hamper any discovery effort for the old Admiral's la Vizcaina.

13); Much of the confusion in the above accounts could be easily accounted for being as Nicuesa himself died as a direct result of Balboa?s justice. There isn?t conclusive evidence that any of the people that accompanied Nicuesa ever returned to Spain. So the stories filtered back to Seville through Governor Pedrarias and history has been less than kind to his memory and accounts of how things happened in those long gone times of the early 16th century.

14); Lastly, Christopher Columbus gives the description of PlayaDamaBay. When he dropped anchor in that location on 19th November 1502 as head winds prevented him from continuing on. He stayed there several days trading with the friendly natives.

Conclusion

Christopher Columbus was quite explicit as to the locations of where he left the four ships of his ill-fated fleet. Yet, no one, to date, has been able to locate any of the ships where he reported to have abandoned them. Why is that? I feel that the deception may be intentional, even though Columbus was delusional part of the time during the fourth voyage. Perhaps the idea of making one more voyage was never far from his thoughts and if that is the case could it be that these ships are stashes for a voyage that never took place? If this theory is correct his other ships will be located in other places as well. Could it be that when he was standing in the Royal Court in Spain it was easier to say these ships were left in or near to points he had drawn on his charts? Easier to refer to the Vizcaina as being left near Portobelo easier than bringing attention to a point that was not yet registered in detail on a chart. It was easier to point to the point that was, Portobelo.

Given the details listed above, it is my belief that I could bring a fourteen-point indictment against Christopher Columbus for abandonment of the Vizcaina and for the loss of the guns of the Gallega. No other ship lost in the first years of the early 16th century or in this vicinity quite fits the bill, pointing a finger, squarely, at la Vizcaina.

Artifacts

To date, the only artifacts that have been brought up are the ones that were lying loose in the debris field. These have all been transported to Portobelo and placed in fresh water tanks for safekeeping.

The guns that are being held in recovery tanks are of a 15th century application weapons that required being lashed down on a timber with a large wooden block behind to secure the servitor in place for firing. The swivel guns are of a falconet type utilizing the Lombard barrel and versos breach.

This is a typical style Caravel of the 14th through 16th century.

Here are two examples of amphora olive jar necks found on the site. The one to the left is an early 16th century example while the one on the right is a circa 1560 example. An explanation may be as easy as the two Dutch stout bottles found on the wreck site as well. They are circa 1900.

The examples the previous page and below stay consistent with early 16th century amphora except for the ceramic wine bottle on the above left.

Vizcaina

The Vizcaina as seen depicted and painted by myself at the

time of her abandonment in Playa Dama in 1503.

This is the front and back of a customs seal found on the wreck site note the 97 on the bottom of the one to the left.

The site plan used to mark and recover artifacts from the wreck site.

Here is an example of the versos breach loading swivel cannon widely used throughout the 16th century. Below the cannon are a number of servitors used to load the cannons for action.

Here is the 300-lb. servitor that was used to propel the

stone cannon balls to their target.

This is an example of a bronze servitor used to charge a falconet, which was recovered from the wreck site. In this photo you can see the weight make 83 and just to the rear is the gun number VIIII (9) which would have place the weapon to the rear of the ship.

Here a 15th century Bombard cannon rises from the deep where it has rested for 5 centuries. This weapon was lashed to its gun carriage by rope through the lanyard rings on the cannon and servitor

Picture taken by Eric Jackson editor Panama News

I emerge from the depths after helping to secure the Bombard cannon for it rise to the surface

The photographs below are courtesy of Media Enterprise, Inc.
Taken by Tom and Jack Cosgrove
contact info e-mail  mediaenterpise@attbi.com
Jack coming up after filming

Above left you see a conglomerate of rigging parts. Right is a Servitor for a Bombard Cannon along with other examples of weaponry.

On the left is a servitor for a Bombard cannon with a Lombard cannon lying next to it. Center is a breach loading swivel falconet that still has the servitor retaining-pin in place. Right is another picture of the Falconet with a Lombard cannon lying next to it.

To the left is the cargo area of the wreck.

These 3 were provided and taken by Media Enterprise, Inc. divers, Tom and Jack Cosgrove. Contact information: Tom Cosgrove E-mail: mediaenterprises@attbi.com

Summation

The dangers of this site being miss-handled become a stronger possibility with every tick of the clock. Something of this magnitude should only be entrusted to an international foundation that has no other interest than its preservation. Many are gathering to see how the most monetary gains can be extracted. There is literal proof everywhere that monetary gain is their only concern as in the grave robbing and pilfering from promising archeological sites.

The possible rape of the la Vizcaina is nothing more than grave ghouls looting and mismanaging a site that should be protected as much as a NationalMuseum. Instead, it is in danger of being left to the same handling as many important sites such as Peru's Moche sites are plundered daily by the native people so they may sell the funerary implements they recover known as huacas. In many cases this practice is accomplished with official knowledge of the people doing the digging, who are known as Huaqueros. These Hauqueros are prevalent throughout Central and South America and the world for looting burial mounds and ancient cultural sites as well as the facilities that these rare items of antiquity are housed in. A great example of this was the theft of perhaps more than 300 pieces of gold huacas that came up missing from Panama City, Panama's Anthropology Museum on a Monday morning back on February 17th of 2003. This treasure was there at closing time on the 14th. What makes this theft so unique is

the fact that only the authentic items were taken. The reproduction pieces that were displayed to reinforce the exhibit were not disturbed. Further more there was no evidence to indicate a forced entry was employed to gain entry. Inside help must have been enlisted.

Then to make matter worse another theft is reported to the PJT (Policia Técnica Judicial), the police agency that investigates criminal matters in Panama, of an apparent forced entry of Dr. Carlos Fitzgerald?s office. He is the director of Historical Patrimony for INAC (Instituto Nacional de Cultura). The only items taken were two computers. These computers maintained the information on the items INAC is responsible for throughout the country. Nothing else of value except a few bottles of whisky was removed from the Director?s office. Other articles such as office equipment as well as works of art were reported to be undisturbed and were left remaining. A local new agency, La Prensa, implied that the theft was "suspicious" and to deter investigation it is plausible that the door could have been forced from the inside.

Will these precious sites just disappear? How can we stop this rape of these cultural treasures? The world needs to be made aware of these all important areas no matter where they are. For a disturbed, plundered, and looted location anywhere is a loss to everyone. Perhaps international laws could be made that could place people found committing these illegal acts on notice and in jeopardy of prosecution in an international court where these individuals would face real charges, which would result in real consequences like finding themselves, interned for many years. So it isn?t necessary to take the approach the Moche very well might have in this picture.

Is there any Hope?

For further information call Warren or Frankie White at: +507-433-0349

For any questions you can E-mail me any time at warren@cwp.net.pa

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