Turks and Caicos - Molasses Reef Wreck

Situated on the remote southwest rim of the Caicos Bank, Molasses Reef is a natural ship trap, where the earliest European shipwreck in the Western Hemisphere has been completely excavated from the reef.

The Molasses Reef ship was armed with heavy artillery, crossbows, swords and grenades.

Superior armament was the key to explorers' success as it enabled them to impose their will on the peoples they met during their explorations and to defend themselves from similarly-armed pirates. The Molasses Reef wreck may be Columbus's ship The Niña.