A Long-Lost Ship Full of Gold Was Discovered in The Desert

One of the most fascinating archeological discoveries of the past few years is the discovery of a ship that vanished five centuries ago and was discovered with gold coins aboard in a southwest African desert.

On Friday, March 7, 1533, a Portuguese ship sailed out of Lisbon. Its fate remained a mystery until 2008, when its bones were found during diamond mining operations in Namibia’s desert close to the country’s coast.

It was headed for India when a strong storm caused it to capsize, taking with it valuables including copper and gold ingots. Nearly all of the tens of thousands of pounds of copper ingots and two thousand pure gold pieces that were found on the ship were found undamaged.

In addition to money, the ship found in the desert carried significant cargo.

The Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research’s principal archaeologist, Dr. Noli, stated that finding a shipwreck was not unusual because the coastline has recently been known for storms.

But only a week into the excavation was a gold-filled treasure box discovered, and the coins within revealed it had originated from a Portuguese ship that had vanished in 1533.