An incredible long lost shipwreck was found in the middle of the African desert – packed full of £10million worth of treasure.
The ship, a Portuguese vessel called The Bom Jesus, dates all the way back from the 16th century, where it got caught up in a brutal storm whilst sailing from Lisbon to India.
It had been extremely battered by the sea, and experts believe that it likely ended up in the place that it was found after its hull collide with a rock along the Namibian shoreline. As the waters of the coastline receded over recent centuries, this caused the ship to emerge inland.
Within the boat sat over £10million worth of treasure, in the form of thousands of rare and valuable gold coins, along with nearly 2,000 copper ingots.
Over 100 elephant ivory tusks were also found within the wreckage, which were so well preserved that DNA could be extracted from them to conclude that the elephants they belonged to were likely from West African forests and the Savannah.
Whilst a wildly unexpected find, the miners were not entirely shocked by the discovery. Dr Dieter Noli, chief archeologist of the Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research, believed that one day the miners would come across a ship wreck.
“I had been preaching to them for a dozen years that one day they would find a shipwreck, and to let me know when they do,” he told Fox News in 2016.
“When asked what exactly I was really expecting to find, I said ‘a Spanish sword and a bag of gold’.”
Instead of a bag, an entire chest of gold was found during the excavation, as well as multiple swords. Astronomical and navigational instruments were also discovered, along with cannons and muskets.
Unfortunately for Dr Noli and his miners, they were not able to enjoy the rewards of their discovery, as ‘The Namibian government got every single coin,’
He went on to say that, as it was a Portuguese ship, all of its contents belonged to that country. However, the Portuguese government generously let Namibia to keep the spoils of the shipwreck.