An Island Sinks, a Harbor Denied: Chartmakers Never Notice

Rediscovering the Lost Port of Christopher Columbus

An island sank in 1946 as a result of a terrible earthquake. It wasn’t a big island, only 52 acres, but it formed the principal barrier to ocean swells protecting an old coconut port on the Samana Peninsula of the Dominican Republic. The port was first identified by Columbus in 1493 and was considered significant (fuerte) because it could shelter ships …