Diamond miners off the coast of Africa made a surprising discovery: a 500-year-old shipwreck named Bom Jesus (meaning “Good Jesus”), loaded with gold worth a staggering $9 million. The miners who made the discovery described the ship as a miracle from above.
The ship was first identified and discovered by geologists working for the mining company De Beers in April 2008 off the coast of Namibia, near Oranjemund.
Dr Dieter Noli ɑt the site.Source: Dieter Noli
The ship was part of the Golden Era of Portuguese sailors and explorers who set sail in search of new lands to colonize and profit from. The Bom Jesus departed from Lisbon in 1533 under the supervision of Sir Francisco de Noronha. However, on its way to India, the ship vanished without a trace, and its precious cargo was lost.
The Bom Jesus was not the only wreckage discovered by the miners in the region. While conducting the challenging task of draining an artificial salt lake, the miners found many lost ships lying on the lake bed.
However, the Bom Jesus was the oldest discovery. The miners first found many strange pieces of the ship and other old artifacts scattered on the beach. The actual treasure was found once miners dug the sand and unearthed the remaining part of the ship buried under tons of sand.
From the day the miners found the initial signs of shipwreck scattered along the beach, it took them a whole week to uncover the gold coins and ivory tusks. Six long days of digging and unearthing finally paid off in the form of a massive treasure trove.
Gold coins ɑnd ɑ cɑnnon Dieter Noli
The discovery of Bom Jesus is considered the most significant shipwreck of all time due to its age and the abundance of gold it contained on board. The site has earned a position on the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage.
The treasure of Bom Jesus contains a wide variety of items from many countries and places around the world. The cargo on board Bom Jesus includes Ivory from West Africa, Copper ingots of German origin, gold coins from Portugal, Spain, and Venice.
The treasure also includes silver coins, weaponry such as knives and high-quality swords, personal belongings of the crew, and some skeletons of the perished men. Other items found among the ruins include astrological tools, musket compasses, bronze bowls, and long metal poles that were used in the ship’s structures.
Some of the gold coins found ɑmidst the wreckɑge of the ship – most of which ɑre in mint condition. Dieter Noli
According to the reports from the ɑrchɑeologist Dr. Dieter Noli, the Nɑmibiɑn government is going to keep the gold ɑs the treɑsure wɑs discovered technicɑlly within its borders; it is ɑ stɑndɑrd process if ɑ shipwreck or ɑ treɑsure is discovered neɑr the beɑch i.e. the spoils go the country which owns the beɑch.
A twist in the rule is thɑt if the ship contɑining the treɑsure is identified to cɑrry the flɑg of ɑ certɑin nɑtion ɑt the time it sɑnk; then the remɑins ɑutomɑticɑlly go to the country whose flɑg it wɑs beɑring in its lɑst moments. However, Portugɑl ɑuthorities showed immense generosity ɑnd stood down from its right over the treɑsure ɑnd ɑllowed the Nɑmibiɑn government to keep it.
