2016-06-09 Thu

Many old shipwrecks have been discovered along the coast of Africa, but the latest 500 year old Portuguese ship named The Bom Jesus, or “The Good Jesus” was like abra-ka-dabra indeed! The ship drowned near the coast of Namibia on its way to India and was loaded with as much as $13,000,000 worth of gold coins! Unlike other shipwrecks that have been easily located, this one was hidden beneath the ocean floor for centuries, which is why it is considered to be a significant find. The exciting fact is that, this shipwreck is the oldest one found in the area, the second-oldest being The 1747 Vlissingen.

The discovery was made in April 2008 by a team of geologists who worked for the diamond mining company De Beers. As per officials, the site was prone to turbulent waves, which is why mining wasn’t possible unless man-made lagoons were created and water was drained out from them. The shipwreck was found at this drained man-made lagoon.

The first find at the site was a piece of 16th century artillery. After further research it was observed that the style of the stock was made to fit against the cheek, rather than against the shoulder which reinstated that it was from the early century.

The site was investigated further and the precious coins were finally unearthed on the 6th day. Apart from the gold coins, tin, ivory tusks, and 44,000 pounds of copper ingots were also found. Experts state that the copper ingots helped in preserving the wreck. Researchers are still in the lookout for strong evidences to find out why and how the ship might have drowned.

When a ship is found at a coast, it officially owned by the country where the coast belongs. But when a ship belongs to a state, like this particular Portuguese ship, the proprietary of the ship and its content is transferred to the state. But surprisingly, the Portuguese government was generous to hand over the treasure to Namibia.