La Belle shipwreck
One of the ships of La Salle's attempt in 1685 to found a French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi. She was wrecked in Matagorda Bay, Texas, in 1686, dooming the colony. Found in 1995, she was excavated whole in 1996-1997 inside a cofferdam that let archaeologists work in the dry.
Dated events and their evidence
- 1685 CE mainstream
La Salle's expedition, aiming for the mouth of the Mississippi, lands instead at Matagorda Bay in Spanish Texas, 400 miles to the west source - 1686 CE mainstream
with La Salle away, the short-handed crew loses control of La Belle in a cold front; she drifts and runs aground at the southern end of the bay source - 1995 CE mainstream
June: a Texas Historical Commission magnetometer survey led by Barto Arnold finds the wreck; a bronze cannon later matched to La Belle's records proves its identity source - 1996 CE mainstream
a double-walled steel cofferdam is built around the wreck and pumped dry; the excavation, July 1996 to May 1997, recovers the whole ship and over a million objects source
Where
28.4481° N, 96.3222° W
The point is Wikipedia's position for the wreck in Matagorda Bay, Texas.
Sources
Each event carries Aion's own evidence grade (mainstream, disputed or speculative). This page repeats what the globe shows for this place.