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Long-Lost Ship Found in the Desert Laden With Gold
Greek Reporter ^ | July 15, 2024 | Tasos Kokkinidis

Posted on 07/15/2024 7:46:51 PM PDT by nickcarraway

The discovery of a ship, missing for five centuries, in a southwest African desert, filled with gold coins, is one of the most thrilling archaeological finds in recent times.

The Bom Jesus (The Good Jesus) was a Portuguese vessel that set sail from Lisbon, Portugal on Friday, March 7, 1533. Its fate was unknown until 2008 when its remains were discovered in the desert of Namibia during diamond mining operations near the coast of the African nation.

When it sank in a fierce storm, it was on its way to India laden with treasures like gold and copper ingots. Two thousand pure gold coins and tens of thousands of pounds of copper ingots were discovered on the Bom Jesus, almost all intact.

It is speculated that the Bom Jesus sank when it was pulled too close to shore in a storm off the coast of Namibia, causing the ship’s hull to collide with a rock and lean over, capsizing the vessel. As the coastline waters receded, the Bom Jesus reemerged in the desert.

The condition that the ship was found in suggests that the storm that caused the shipwreck was especially violent, although an absence of human remains (besides a few scattered bone fragments) in the site suggests that most of the crew on board survived the wreck or died at sea.

Ship discovered in the desert had valuable cargo apart from gold

Dr Noli, the chief archeologist of the Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research, said recently the coastline was notorious for storms so finding a shipwreck was hardly surprising.

However, it was a week into the excavation that a treasure chest laden with gold was found, with the coins indicating it had come from a Portuguese ship that had disappeared in 1533.

“It adds new meaning to the concept of the ship having being loaded with gold,” Dr Noli told News Com, Australia.

Further investigation revealed the discovery of bronze bowls, and long metal poles later found to be canons.

Dr Noli’s team also found a musket which he estimated to be at least 500 years old, and bits of metal which revealed a shipwreck was buried in the sand. It also found compasses, swords, astronomical tools, canons and even a time capsule. Silver coins were also found.

While little is known about the history of the Bom Jesus itself, it is speculated that the ship was part of a class of naval vessels that were larger, more efficient, and more durable than previous Portuguese and Spanish vessels in order to facilitate the longer-distance expeditions carried out by Portuguese fleets during this time.

Based on the contents of the shipwreck, Dr. Noli and other scholars believe the ship was on course for Western India from its home port in Lisbon, Portugal around the southern tip of Africa, a common route for similar Portuguese vessels during this time that carried the same cargo.

Today, the Bom Jesus is the oldest known and most valuable shipwreck ever discovered off the Western coast of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The area where the ship was found was called Sperrgebiet, or “forbidden territory,” after the hundreds of German prospectors who ventured to the region in search of diamonds.

Diamond company DeBeers and the Namibian government still run a joint operation in the area, according to CNN, and the area remains largely out of sight.

The remnants of the shipwreck remain protected by mining security, with limited numbers allowed onto the site. An idea for a museum has been proposed but it remains to be seen whether it will occur.


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; History; Local News
KEYWORDS: africa; ageofsail; debeers; diamonds; godsgravesglyphs; gold; namibia; oranjemund; portugal; portuguese; sperrgebiet; thebomjesus; thegoodjesus
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Ancient Shipwreck Discovered In Desert Contains Hundreds Of Priceless Coins !



An Ancient ship full of Gold Coins was Found in the Desert

1 posted on 07/15/2024 7:46:51 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

That movie sucked...


2 posted on 07/15/2024 7:48:10 PM PDT by Vendome (I've Gotta Be Me https://youtu.be/wH-pk2vZG2M)
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To: nickcarraway

“Uh yeah I found an old ship but there was nothing on it”


3 posted on 07/15/2024 7:51:43 PM PDT by monkeyshine (live and let live is dead)
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To: Vendome
Goldfinger?
4 posted on 07/15/2024 7:53:33 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
Fascinating find!

As the coastline waters receded, the Bom Jesus reemerged in the desert.

Did they just admit the sea level went down for reasons unrelated to human activities? So that if it went back up it might just be a natural oscillation?

5 posted on 07/15/2024 7:53:51 PM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
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To: nickcarraway

March 7, 1533 set sail on a sea which is now a desert ?
when did it become a desert ?
What SUV’s did they drive ?
What aerosols did they use ?

oh...never-mind


6 posted on 07/15/2024 7:55:57 PM PDT by stylin19a (Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?)
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To: nickcarraway

Sahara with “All Right, All Right, All Right McConaughey “


7 posted on 07/15/2024 7:58:18 PM PDT by Vendome (I've Gotta Be Me https://youtu.be/wH-pk2vZG2M)
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To: nickcarraway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahara_(2005_film)


8 posted on 07/15/2024 7:59:17 PM PDT by Skywise
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To: stylin19a
"As the coastline waters receded"

Well how the hell did that happen?

9 posted on 07/15/2024 7:59:24 PM PDT by KC_Conspirator
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To: nickcarraway

“...suggests that most of the crew on board survived the wreck or died at sea.”

Or were abducted by aliens, eaten by cannibals, turned into vampires and still move among us, or gosh we really just don’t know.


10 posted on 07/15/2024 8:10:15 PM PDT by Farmerbob
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To: nickcarraway
Cool.

Lemme know if Flight 19 shows up.


11 posted on 07/15/2024 8:17:52 PM PDT by PLMerite ("They say that we were Cold Warriors. Yes, and a bloody good show, too." - Robert Conquest )
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To: EnderWiggin1970

Such a reasonable conclusion may be lost on them.


12 posted on 07/15/2024 8:22:12 PM PDT by aposiopetic
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To: Farmerbob

You don’t want to survive a wreck there. Drowning is quick. Slowly dying of dehydration and exposure in the desert sun is worse.

It’s called the Skeleton Coast for a reason.


13 posted on 07/15/2024 8:22:15 PM PDT by packagingguy
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To: PLMerite

I love that scene. Actually, the whole movie.


14 posted on 07/15/2024 8:24:57 PM PDT by rlmorel (In Today's Democrat America, The $5 Dollar Bill is the New $1 Dollar Bill.)
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To: rlmorel

“I love that scene. Actually, the whole movie.”

I saw the movie when it first came out. When I saw the aircraft I knew instantly what it was.

Gave me goosebumps. Still does.


15 posted on 07/15/2024 8:29:56 PM PDT by PLMerite ("They say that we were Cold Warriors. Yes, and a bloody good show, too." - Robert Conquest )
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To: nickcarraway; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; ...
There may another topic about this, it wasn't in the Namibia keyword, and didn't show up in a web search.

16 posted on 07/15/2024 8:33:01 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)
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To: PLMerite

It is all typical formulaic Spielberg stuff, but I enjoy it all the same...:)


17 posted on 07/15/2024 8:41:19 PM PDT by rlmorel (In Today's Democrat America, The $5 Dollar Bill is the New $1 Dollar Bill.)
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To: nickcarraway

Therefore, the sea level has dropped over 5 centuries to expose the ship. Paging Algore to the red courtesy phone…


18 posted on 07/15/2024 8:57:35 PM PDT by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
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To: Vendome

It had some good parts.

19 posted on 07/15/2024 9:27:29 PM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> --- )
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To: nickcarraway
Long-Lost Ship Found in the Desert Laden With Gold

That must be some desert.

20 posted on 07/15/2024 9:58:32 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (THE ISSUE IS NEVER THE ISSUE. THE REVOLUTION IS THE ISSUE.)
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