Shipwrecked!

In 2008, the BBC reported on the discovery of a shipwreck in a protected mining area 130 km south of Luderitz. Geologists from De Beers, mining company of diamond fame, found the wreck when draining a previously untouched area of the surf zone where wave action normally prevents mining. Dr. Dieter Noli, chief archaeologist at the Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research, explains “so what the chaps do is push up a huge sea-wall with bulldozers parallel to the beach, with the ends running back to the beach. The result is a large man-made lagoon, with the surf pounding on the outside. Then they pump the sea-water out of the lagoon.” Found coins, wood fragments, and artillery pieces led to the discovery of the ship and notification of archaeologists like Dr. Noli and Burno Werz.

Drawing of a Portuguese ship or "nau"

Eventually, the ship was identified as The Bom Jesus, or “The Good Jesus”, a Portuguese ship or “nau” that disappeared on its way to India around 1533. It’s likely the ship wrecked on the Skeleton Coast, which is north of the recovery site and known to Portuguese sailors at “The Gates of Hell.” With a heavy cargo load, The Bom Jesus would have struggled to navigate the treacherous coast and violent waves.

This discovery is significant because the ship went untouched by humans when it was under the ocean floor. Everything found at the site can be amassed and studied in one collection. Archaeologists and researchers from several countries, including Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, are collaborating to extract and record the knowledge uncovered in this site. The evacuation project manager described the wreck as "the most exciting archaeological discovery on the African continent in the past 100 years.” The presence of copper among the ship’s bounty probably helped in the preservation of the wreck because marine organisms avoided materials from the ship that normally would have been eaten.

Things found on the ship include:
1. An actual treasure chest filled with silver and $13 million worth of gold coins
2. 44,000 lbs of copper ingots with a trident seal traced back to German merchant Jakob Fugger
3. Ivory tusks
4. Breech-loading cannons and metal cannonballs
5. Portuguese/Spanish ship swivel guns
6. Swords
7. Pieces of guns and muskets
8. Navigational instruments
9. Pewter plates and jugs
10. Ceramic pieces
11. Tin blocks

One of the coins found with the wreck

Portugal has waived its claim to the treasure from its ‘ship of state’ so the Namibian government gets to keep all the contents of the wreck.

 - Hayden

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/06/07/500-year-old-shipwreck-loaded-with-gold-found-in-namibian-desert.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7634479.stm