The Esmeralda in the Indian Ocean
In 1503, a Portuguese squadron from the fleet of Vasco da Gama disobeyed orders from their superiors and sailed west from India without authorization. The ships, captained by the Sodré brothers, da Gama’s uncles, sank off the coast of present-day Oman.
The Esmeralda is the oldest European shipwreck but was recently discovered in 1998. It is precisely located in the Indian Ocean, 25 miles off the coast of Oman. A team of archaeologists, professional divers, anthropologists, scientists, and specialists helped confirm this shipwreck’s provenance, age, and identity.