The Voyage of the Vizcaina: The Mystery of Christopher Columbus's Last Ship [Hardcover]

Klaus Brinkbaumer (Author), Clemens Hoges (Author), Annette Streck (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After his discovery of the New World, Columbus embarked on at least two more journeys to the Americas, the last of which remains shrouded in mystery. In the mid-1990s, divers discovered the wreck of a large ship just off the coast of Panama, fueling rumors that this might be the remains of one of the ships from Columbus's final voyage. Brinkbäumer and Höges, journalists at Der Spiegel and amateur divers, traveled to Nombre de Dios, about 15 miles from Portobelo, where the ship went down, to report on this groundbreaking discovery and the politics surrounding it. Part archeological account, part biography, part adventure story and part cultural history, this lively and judicious account of the political intrigues and the excitement surrounding the discovery of the ship's remains offers fascinating reading. Brinkbäumer and Höges vividly recreate Columbus's unsuccessful final voyages. Taking four ships, Columbus returned to the New World in search of more riches. Although he reached the Americas, his ships—victims of shipworms eating through the wood of the hulls—began to sink one by one. Columbus reported abandoning the Vizcaína near Portobelo. This is a cracking good tale of exploration, discovery and the politics that surround any archeological discovery. (May)
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Review

PRAISE FOR THE VOYAGE OF THE VIZCAÍNA

"Brings to the surface a fascinating portrait of one of the lesser-known adventures in the Age of Discovery."—THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151011869
• ISBN-13: 978-0151011865
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,331,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Story - Misleading Title, July 24, 2006

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G. Poirier (Orleans, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Voyage of the Vizcaina: The Mystery of Christopher Columbus's Last Ship (Hardcover)

This is a truly exciting read. Although the title and subtitle both suggest that the book is mainly about the Vizcaina, in fact, only about 20% of it contains discussions that directly pertain to that ship; most of these discussions deal with efforts towards determining whether the wreck that was found in the Bay of Playa Damas (Panama) is indeed the Vizcaina. Naturally, when something of such historical importance is found, some form of politics must step in to play its important frustrating role of slowing down, with utmost efficiency, any exciting archaeological progress; this case is no exception. However, the main bulk of the book is about Christopher Columbus: his life, his travels and his adventures. Also presented are fascinating outlines of current disputes as to his true origins as well as where his bones are currently located. Published in 2006, this is an English translation of a book that was originally published in German in 2004. Although the original German title seems to be more appropriate than the current English one, the translation is well done in the sense that the writing is so clear and engaging that the book is very difficult to put down. It will likely be indispensable reading for most history buffs, but it can be enjoyed by anyone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story of History, Politics and Exploration., December 12, 2007

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BookManBookWoman TV REVIEWS "Saralee Terry Woods" (Nashville, Tn United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Voyage of the Vizcaina: The Mystery of Christopher Columbus's Last Ship (Hardcover)

What really happened to the last voyage of Christopher Columbus? This is a great story of history, politics and exploration.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of historical facts that will intrique you, August 14, 2007

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Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Voyage of the Vizcaina: The Mystery of Christopher Columbus's Last Ship (Hardcover)

In the mid-1990s, divers discovered the wreck of a large ship just off the coast of Panama, feeding the rumors that this might be the remains of one of the ships from Columbus's final voyage. Columbus was able to persuade Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille to give him a fleet of four ships in 1502 to return to the New World in search of more riches. Although he reached the Americas, his ships, all victims of shipworms eating through the hulls' wood, began to sink one by one. Columbus reported abandoning the fourth ship, the Vizcaina near Portobelo.

It was said that this ship has three masts and a loading capacity of fifty tons. But when divers went searching, they couldn't immediately determine that the abandoned ship off the bay in Playa Damas was the Vizcaina because of the contents of the ship and the relative integrity of the ships structure.

The authors combine Columbus's history, and the discovery of the ship buried beneath the ocean for decades. Divers and archeology experts are quoted throughout the book, which makes it a bit of a hybrid historical read. The past and present converge by finding the Vizcaina. Yet, it's a true adventure whether you like history or archeology. The history of the man who founded the New World is fascinating as he was a true adventurer.

Armchair Interviews says: Thrilling historical, yet scientific reading that leaves you satiated with a host of historical facts and awe about modern archeology.