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Feb. 1st, 2003 07:52 pmLook on the bright side. We'll all get high schools named after us
-- Mary McCormack, in Deep Impact
On Christmas Eve, 1492, Columbus' flagship, the Santa Maria, crashed into coral and sank, probably in the Bahamas. 40 stranded men were left behind to create a fort. All died.
During Columbus' fourth voyage, he made it to Santo Domingo and warned the governor to delay his shipment of thirty ships as a storm was brewing. The governor ignored Columbus -- twenty ships sank, nine were bashed to bits against the shore, and one survived. Out of the twenty-nine ships, 500 men were lost. Columbus' five ships survived intact.
From 1520-1522, Magellan tried to sail around the world with a fleet of five ships. Santiago sank in Argentina. The San Antonio mutinied, removed their captain, and returned to Spain after attempting the Straits of Magellan. The Concepcion was damaged in the Philippines attack (where Magellan died) and was burned and sunk. The Trinidad turned back and attempted to retrace the Pacific voyage, where it was captured by the Portuguese. The crew was either enslaved or sent to the brigs. The Victoria made it back to Spain, was repaired after three hard years of voyaging, made a West Indies voyage, and sank with all hands.
In 1585, Sir Walter Ralegh sent seven ships to North Carolina. A storm off Portugal scattered the fleet and sank one of the smaller ships, all hands lost. The Tyger made it to the rendezvous point, followed a week later by the Elizabeth. They sailed to North Carolina, where the Tyger promptly sank. At the site, they discovered 30 colonists left by the Lyon, Roebuck, and Dorothy, which then took off back to England.
In 1620, the Mayflower deposited a hundred colonists in Massachusetts, who promised to work for an English commercial interest for several years to pay for their voyage. Two died en route, one nearly died when he was almost drowned in a storm. Almost half died in Massachusetts during the first winter.
In 1686, French explorer Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle started a colonial expedition with four ships. The St. Francois was captured by pirates. The Aimable, hit a sandbar and broke apart. The Jolie was sent to France, after leaving 180 colonists on the Texas coast. La Belle, the last ship left for exploration, sank off the Texas coast. La Salle was shot by his own guard, and an expedition of seven traveled up the Mississippi and made it to Canada. The rest died of disease or Indian attacks, the original colony burned to the ground.
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In space exploration so far, we have Challenger and Columbia, the Apollo 1 launchpad disaster, Soyuz 1 and Salyut 1/Soyuz 11 (four cosmonauts killed on reentry), the Soviet unmanned Mars launch "Nedelin" disaster of 1960 (more than 100 technicians killed when the rocket exploded on the launchpad), and the near-deaths of Apollo 13. I hope that these lost expeditions will rank in history alongside the early sailing disasters of New World exploration.
These are just disasters of recorded history. How many archeo-americans died crossing the land bridge into America? How many proto-polynesians sank while colonizing the Pacific islands? How many future-aboriginies died colonizing Australia? Or go back even more -- how many Homo erectus died leaving Africa to colonize the world?
Exploration and migration are primal urges, perhaps existing in our DNA before we even evolved as a species. While technological advances tend to increase the saftey factor, they also tend to comfort us to the point where many feel that they should never be attempted for the danger.
Here's to hoping that the naysayers get left behind. I want to go!
-- Mary McCormack, in Deep Impact
On Christmas Eve, 1492, Columbus' flagship, the Santa Maria, crashed into coral and sank, probably in the Bahamas. 40 stranded men were left behind to create a fort. All died.
During Columbus' fourth voyage, he made it to Santo Domingo and warned the governor to delay his shipment of thirty ships as a storm was brewing. The governor ignored Columbus -- twenty ships sank, nine were bashed to bits against the shore, and one survived. Out of the twenty-nine ships, 500 men were lost. Columbus' five ships survived intact.
From 1520-1522, Magellan tried to sail around the world with a fleet of five ships. Santiago sank in Argentina. The San Antonio mutinied, removed their captain, and returned to Spain after attempting the Straits of Magellan. The Concepcion was damaged in the Philippines attack (where Magellan died) and was burned and sunk. The Trinidad turned back and attempted to retrace the Pacific voyage, where it was captured by the Portuguese. The crew was either enslaved or sent to the brigs. The Victoria made it back to Spain, was repaired after three hard years of voyaging, made a West Indies voyage, and sank with all hands.
In 1585, Sir Walter Ralegh sent seven ships to North Carolina. A storm off Portugal scattered the fleet and sank one of the smaller ships, all hands lost. The Tyger made it to the rendezvous point, followed a week later by the Elizabeth. They sailed to North Carolina, where the Tyger promptly sank. At the site, they discovered 30 colonists left by the Lyon, Roebuck, and Dorothy, which then took off back to England.
In 1620, the Mayflower deposited a hundred colonists in Massachusetts, who promised to work for an English commercial interest for several years to pay for their voyage. Two died en route, one nearly died when he was almost drowned in a storm. Almost half died in Massachusetts during the first winter.
In 1686, French explorer Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle started a colonial expedition with four ships. The St. Francois was captured by pirates. The Aimable, hit a sandbar and broke apart. The Jolie was sent to France, after leaving 180 colonists on the Texas coast. La Belle, the last ship left for exploration, sank off the Texas coast. La Salle was shot by his own guard, and an expedition of seven traveled up the Mississippi and made it to Canada. The rest died of disease or Indian attacks, the original colony burned to the ground.
-----------
In space exploration so far, we have Challenger and Columbia, the Apollo 1 launchpad disaster, Soyuz 1 and Salyut 1/Soyuz 11 (four cosmonauts killed on reentry), the Soviet unmanned Mars launch "Nedelin" disaster of 1960 (more than 100 technicians killed when the rocket exploded on the launchpad), and the near-deaths of Apollo 13. I hope that these lost expeditions will rank in history alongside the early sailing disasters of New World exploration.
These are just disasters of recorded history. How many archeo-americans died crossing the land bridge into America? How many proto-polynesians sank while colonizing the Pacific islands? How many future-aboriginies died colonizing Australia? Or go back even more -- how many Homo erectus died leaving Africa to colonize the world?
Exploration and migration are primal urges, perhaps existing in our DNA before we even evolved as a species. While technological advances tend to increase the saftey factor, they also tend to comfort us to the point where many feel that they should never be attempted for the danger.
Here's to hoping that the naysayers get left behind. I want to go!
