New Maritime Discoveries Unveiled in Bay of Fort-de-France by Archaeological Association of the Lesser Antilles

The Lesser Antilles Archeology Association (AAPA) recently unveiled the results of its underwater archaeological research mission, carried out in collaboration with the Armed Forces in the Antilles. Discoveries made near Fort Saint-Louis, in Fort-de-France, suggest the presence of remains of shipwrecks dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. The mission, which began on May 10 and ends today, is led by Jean-Sébastien Guibert, president of the AAPA and teacher-researcher in history and maritime archeology at the University of the West Indies. The Armed Forces in the West Indies provide logistical and human support through boats, diving equipment, professional divers and officers. The objective of this collaboration is to highlight the maritime archaeological heritage of the Fort-de-France region, by exploring the underwater sites around Fort Saint-Louis, a listed historical monument. The previous year, during a prospecting project, the AAPA had already identified several interesting archaeological sites in the bay of Fort-de-France, including a metal barge probably dating from the 20th century, an area possibly made up of remains shipwrecks from the 19th and 20th centuries (which the AAPA is currently working on) and the isolated remains of a bronze cannon measuring one meter. The AAPA and the Armed Forces in the West Indies wish to collect and restore this cannon in order to present it to the general public.