Episode
NOVA: Voyage of Doom
Overview
Buried in mud beneath the shallow waters of Matagorda Bay in Texas, lay a glorious remnant of one of the most ill-fated voyages of the Age of Discovery. After years of searching the area, nautical archaeologists doing a magnetometer survey honed in on a promising site. And on the first day of diving, they were astounded to feel the distinctive outlines of a cannon, and sense the massive size of the wreck. When the cannon was hauled from the water, their hunch was confirmed: This ship, called La Belle, belonged to the 17th Century French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle. NOVA follows the building of a coffer dam and subsequent complete excavation of this remarkable site. Preserved were not only armaments and trade beads, but also a wealth of organic material—the wooden hull, leather shoes, and even a skeleton—that brings the voyage to life.
Details
- Series
- NOVA
- Season
- Season 27
- Episode
- Episode 6
- Air date
- 1999-11-23
- Runtime
- 55 min
Episode context
Voyage of Doom is Episode 6 in Season 27 of NOVA. It aired on 1999-11-23. The runtime is 55 min.
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