According to a report on http://www.newsroompanama.com, a team of U.S. archeologists reportedly has found wreckage which they believe is part of Welsh privateer Admiral Henry Morgan's flagship.
The wreckage was found off Portobello and includes approximately 52x22 feet of the starboard side of a 17th century wooden ship hull which they believe to belong to Morgan’s flagship, Satisfaction, according to the report.
Morgan lost five ships, including Satisfaction near Lajas Reef in 1671.
The archeologists previously found six canons believed to belong to the fleet, and when the group ran short of funds, The Captain Morgan Rum Group named after the pirate, provided further aid for the project.
The new funding allowed the team to undertake a magnetometer survey, which looks for metal by finding any deviation in the earth's magnetic field. The survey led to the latest find.
In the 17th century, Morgan, known today as Captain Morgan in 1671, in an effort to capture Panama City and loosen the stronghold of Spain in the Caribbean, Morgan set out to take the Castillo de San Lorenzo, a Spanish fort on the cliff overlooking the entrance to the Chagres River, the only water passageway between the Caribbean and the capital city.
Although his men ultimately prevailed, Morgan lost five ships to the rough seas and shallow reef surrounding the fort.
The underwater research team included archaeologists and divers from Texas State University, volunteers from the National Park Service's Submerged Resources Center and NOAA/UNC-Wilmington's Aquarius Reef Base.
Morgan was one of the most successful, and reputedly ruthless buccaneers of all time, and in the 17th century terrorized Spanish settlements throughout the region.
(Source: http://www.newsroompanama.com)
