Final answer:
The Santa Maria ran aground on Hispaniola on December 25, 1492, and Columbus left behind some of his crew using the ship's materials to construct a settlement before returning to Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Santa Maria, the flagship of Christopher Columbus's fleet, met its unfortunate end on its way to Hispaniola. Instead of sailing smoothly to its next destination or encountering pirates, undergoing a mutiny, or surviving a storm unscathed, the Santa Maria ran aground on December 25, 1492, on the northern coast of Hispaniola, which is present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Columbus left 39 sailors behind in a settlement he named La Navidad, using the wrecked ship's materials to help construct the fortification. He returned to Europe with the remaining two ships of his fleet.