AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A team of archeologists has finished restoring the partial remains of a frigate that was carrying French colonists to the New World when it sank in a storm off the Texas coast more than 300 years ago.
Texas A&M University released a statement saying the restoration of the La Belle's hull is finished and that it will be on display at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin.
The La Belle was under the command of the famed explorer La Salle, who intended to colonize the Gulf Coast and expand French influence.
Faulty maps led the colonists to miss their intended destination, the Mississippi River delta, and arrive more than 400 miles away along the Texas coast.
The ship's remains were discovered in 1995.