archaeological excavation of a historic wreck-site in Omani waters. Additional funding and support was provided by National Geographic's Expeditions Council and the non-profit Waitt Institute. Comprehensive geophysical surveys of Ghubatt ar Rahib bay and archaeological excavations of the near-shore wreck site took place in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Underwater archaeology was directed by Dave Parham, Associate Professor in Maritime Archaeology at Bournemouth University, while Dr. Bruno Frohlich, Emeritus Scientist from the Smithsonian Institution, led investigation of possible land burial sites. Over the three field seasons, expedition teams of 12 to 18 spent a total of 50 days working on site, and accumulated 1,079 hours underwater. More than 2,800 artifacts have been recovered from the site, including a ship's bell with a date of 1498, an important copper-alloy disc marked with the royal coat of arms of Portugal and the "esfera armilar"(armillary sphere) - a personal emblem of King Manuel I, and an extremely rare silver coin known as the "INDIO", first minted in 1499 by the Portuguese specifically for trade with India. The disc was later confirmed to be a unique and rare mariner's astrolabe that has been named the Sodré Astrolabe. Salvaged objects also included a large quantity of ordinance (stone, iron and lead shot, and 19 copper-alloy breech chambers). They underscore the military mission of the Sodré squadron. On 15 March 2016, the MHC formally announced the discovery of the wreck site at a press conference in Muscat, and simultaneously published an interim print report by Mearns, Parham and Frohlich in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. A project-specific website was also launched. The IJNA article, which relies on extensive scientific testing of the recovered objects and contributions from numerous other experts, also concludes that the probable source of the remaining, unsalvaged wreckage is from Vicente Sodré's ship "Esmeralda". Reputation Despite Ataíde's efforts at gentle treatment, Portuguese 16th-century chroniclers have usually presented Vicente Sodré in a negative light - principally because of his abandonment of Cochin to the assault of the Zamorin of Calicut. Sodré's greed for spoils is blamed for nearly costing the Portuguese their position in India and dishonoring their name before their Indian allies. At the Battle of Cochin (1504), the new Portuguese patrol captain Duarte Pacheco Pereira had a hard time persuading the Cochinese that he would not abandon them, as Sodré had done. In King Manuel of Portugal's regimento to Diogo Lopes de