Roman Ship?

[Sallustius Metellus]

I do not think anyone believes that the Romans set out intentionally to cross the Atlantic in search of a New World. If anything, a ship blown off course may have ended up in Brazil and the crew may not have survived the journey. Marx points out that in the 19th century there were over 600 reports of vessels being caught in a current on the coast of Africa and ending up as hulks in South America. In fact, Pedro Cabral, who is credited with discovering Brazil did so by accident. He was becalmed along the coast of Africa in 1500, intending to head for the Indian Ocean, when his ship was caught in the current and swept to Brazil. That a Roman merchant vessel might have suffered the same fate is not hard to imagine.