Ngomeni is a small fishing village a few kilometers form Malindi. The town itself had a long history with the Portuguese, and played a significant role in the fall of Mombasa in the 16th century. The Portuguese were favored by the existing infighting between the sultans of Mombasa and Malindi, and when the later repelled the Portuguese invasion, Malindi welcomed the Portuguese and even aided them in defeating Mombasa. The Sultan of Malindi had hoped that he’d also be made the rule of Mombasa as part of this, only to realize that the Portuguese had other plans.
Authentic history states that Vasco Da Gama lost a Galleon during his last voyage as he sought a way to India through the Swahili coast. He made three trips to/through the Kenyan coast- 1498, 1502 and 1524. It was in last voyage that he lost the S. Jorge Galleon which is one of three Portuguese ship wrecks around Malindi. Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed by the Portuguese after 1518, as warships for the Indian Ocean and other European countries primarily used them as vessels for maritime warfare.
The ship wreck in Ngomeni was discovered by villagers in 2003 when they reported floating pieces of wood and an underwater wreckage. This was special because it was the only Galleon to have been discovered in the world.
With the huge Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) potential, the national Museums of Kenya is in the process of building an Underwater Museum at the Ngomeni site.