La Belle (ship)

The excavated hull remains of La Belle
History
France
Name:	La Belle
Owner:	Louis XIV
Operator:	René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
Builder:	Honoré Mallet
Fate:	shipwrecked
General characteristics
Type:	barque longue
Tonnage:	40–45
Length:	54 ft 4 in (16.56 m)
Beam:	14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
Draft:	8 ft (2.4 m)

La Belle was one of Robert de La Salle's four ships when he explored the Gulf of Mexico with the ill-fated mission of starting a French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1685. La Belle was wrecked in present-day Matagorda Bay the following year, dooming La Salle's Texas colony to failure. For over three centuries the wreckage of La Belle lay forgotten until it was discovered by a team of state archaeologists in 1995. The discovery of La Salle's flagship was regarded as one of the most important archaeological finds of the century in Texas, and a major excavation was launched by the state of Texas that, over a period of about a year, recovered the entire shipwreck and over a million artifacts.

In the late 17th century, much of North America had been claimed by European countries. Spain claimed Florida, and New Spain included both modern-day Mexico and much of the southwestern part of the continent. The northern Atlantic coast was claimed by Britain, and New France included much of what is now Canada as well as the Illinois Country. France feared that their territory in the center of the continent was vulnerable to the expansionist plans of their neighbors. In 1681, French nobleman René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, launched an expedition down the Mississippi River from New France, expecting to find a path to the Pacific Ocean. Instead, La Salle found a route to the Gulf of Mexico. Although Hernando de Soto had explored and claimed this area for Spain 140 years before, on April 9, 1682 La Salle claimed the Mississippi River valley for the French king, Louis XIV, naming the territory Louisiana in his honor.