The Voyage of the Vizcaina The Mystery of Christopher Columbus's Last Ship

by Klaus Brinkbäumer

Lying in only twenty-five feet of water in a small gulf off the coast of Panama, a shipwrecked vessel managed to escape detection for centuries before it was discovered in the mid-1990s. In 2002, Klaus Brinkbäumer and Clemens Höges, journalists with the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel and also amateur divers, were the first to assemble a team of experts to analyze the remains. They determined that it was not only the oldest wreck ever found in the Western Hemisphere, but also very likely the remains of the Vizcaína, one of the ships Christopher Columbus took on his last trip to the New World.The Voyage of the Vizcaína, set to be published on the five-hundredth anniversary of Columbus's death, combines investigative journalism, archaeology, and historical re-creation to give us the fascinating story-and startling truths-behind Columbus's final attempt to reach the East by going west.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

First published May 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ned · Rating 4 out of 5]

Columbus was a megalomaniac tyrant, responsible for countless deaths.

But he was also a fascinating megalomaniac tyrant, responsible for countless deaths.

I am happy that I read this. I really felt that I knew next to nothing about who Columbus actually was.

Now that I have read it, I really feel that I know ALMOST next to nothing about who Columbus actually was.

But nobody else does either.

No one is certain what country he is from. No one is certain if he was Catholic or Jewish or something else. No one is really certain what his actual name was! No one is certain where he is buried.

And no one is certain where any of the ships that he sailed on his four journeys to the New World are.

That is what this book is about. A ship, called a caravel --- (no one really knows what any of the ships that Columbus sailed to the New World looked like. They are just guesses. Any paintings you have ever seen of Columbus on or near one of his ships are just guesses) -- anyway, a shipwreck was located in the late 20th Century off the coast of Panama that actually may have been a ship abandoned by Columbus on his final voyage.

Or not. No one really knows.

This is a book about a shipwreck, that has yet to be recovered --- legal hassles and in-fighting -- but I got much more out of it by learning what I could about the man, Columbus; and it fed my fascination of structure and operation of great sailing ships.

In my next life, I am going to be a Pirate.

Or something.

A good history of a man who is popularly credited with discovering America.

Who actually never saw or set foot on North America.

Or did, no one knows.

[Korynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book begins with a modern quandary: there is a sunken ship wreck found off of Nombre de Dios in Panama and it appears to be very old. Going over records of Spanish ships lost in the area it seems possible that the ship could be the Vizcaina from Columbus' last voyage. From there the authors' detail the known facts about the life of Columbus (with some mention of erroneous misunderstandings and theories) and the various monuments dedicated to him in each of the places that were part of his life and the people who have dedicated their lives to exploring Columbus'. It also gives a rundown about each of Columbus' voyages with detail from the few existing contemporary sources. There is a break between the third voyage when Columbus is sent back to Spain in chains and the description of the fourth voyage that inexplicably restates all the material in the previous chapters as bullet point summaries. Then the set-up for the fourth voyage is almost not mentioned, the book just skips to the voyage itself and continues through to the end of the life of Columbus with some discussion of his contribution to history in a modern context (i.e. explorer vs slaver). Back to the present we get nothing. Because the wreck is stuck in a political morass of organizations, private holdings, and so remains unknown. Which almost begs, why write the book if we never get the full story about the wreck that may be the Vizcaina?!

[Charles Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The title is a little misleading. It is actually an objective and highly readable biography of Columbus interwoven with the stories of historians and archaeologists who have studied his life. I already want to read it again!

[Jenich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Životopis Kolumba zkombinovaný s hledáním jeho poslední ztroskotané lodi. Mám z toho rozporuplné pocity. Životopisná část by mohla být podrobnější. Popis hledání a zjišťování, zda nalezený vrak je Kolumbův, je trochu nezáživný. Styl jakým je to psané mi moc nesedl a vyloženě mě vadilo popisování co má který vědec na sobě a jak má ostříhané vousy.

[Jeff Petersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting enough but not a compelling read.

[P.D.R. Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Voyage of the Vizcaina' is a non-fiction book about Christopher Columbus's last ship. Is the wreck found in the Bay of Playa Damas, Panama, the Vizcaina? No one knows, for the Panama government refuses to allow archaeological exploration unless it can sell off the finds to the highest bidder.

The book is the result of sixteen years of collaboration between Der Spiegel magazine and Spiegel Television which also gave rise to a TV programme and a documentary film. Written by two members of the Der Spiegel team, it is a thoroughly researched look at what happened to the Vizcaina and therefore Columbus. It reveals a great deal that is new about the man, his voyages and the world he lived in.

An excellent translator keeps the German style of clean, spare writing and there is a superb use of original documents and charts. Half the pleasure of the book is reading Columbus's words. The other half is in the way facts are laid out for readers, allowing them to make up their own minds about this difficult character. It's a revealing and fascinating read, highly recommended.

[Christopher Rex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part "Columbus' Fourth Voyage" and part "Shadow Divers". A great story. During his 4th Voyage, Columbus had to abandon one of his ships off Panama (due to shipworm) and though he left sketchy details as to where it sank, it was never found (he probably intentionally lied about the location as he did about a lot of things in the New World, plus he really didn't have 100% of an idea where he was). In the 1990s a random ex-pat surfer dude and some others who ran a scuba shop find the remains of a ship in a bay in Panama. At first nobody cares, but it later becomes clear that the ship is most likely Columbus' lost ship. The book tells a brief history of the Fourth Voyage in the early-16thC and the tale of 1990s "discovery" and subsequent unravelling of the mystery. Anyway, worth reading.

[Oma · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story of political wrangling about salvaging a 15th century wreck off the coast of Panama that some think has to be the Vizcaina, a ship lost on Columbus' 4th and final voyage. I found the information about underwater archeology fascinating. The author also describes several experts' painstaking work in dusty archives in Spain and elsewhere to locate documents relating to wrecks. The disappointing thing for me was that the book spent too much time on the first 3 voyages, of which I have already read a lot. That is why I gave it a 3 and not a 4. Still some interesting new nuggets, though.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the historical detail of Columbus and his voyages, but was disappointed by how they wrapped up the book. *spoiler* The entire book discussed theories on where his sunken ship may lie and hinted that it had been found but ended with commentary of an upcoming exploration and no answers. Great history but inconclusive.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was more about Columbus and less about the ship and underwater archaeology which was why I was interested in it. Although I learned about Columbus, the fate of this wreck hasn't been decided and there wasn't a whole lot of the sciencey stuff I like about archaeological discoveries.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing book about Columbus. One of my favorites.

[Adrienne]

Very fast paced read. Brings archeology, history and adventure all together into one book. Reading this book made me see Columbus in a whole new light.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting enough but not a compelling read.

[Carrie F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good way to learn the Christopher Columbus story in the midst of intrigue of a found shipwreck.