Many people around the world search the oceans in hope of find a sunken ship full of lost treasure. One area of the world that has a great amount of sunken ships is the African coastlines. However, the geologists that recently stumbled upon a sunken treasure ship were originally looking for treasure of a different nature.
The treasure that the geologists were looking for was diamonds. The De Beers diamond company was the organization that first made the discovery of the sunken treasure ship. Once it was determined that the ship wreck was of great value, the Namdeb Diamond Corporation, which is a joint venture between the De Beers company and the Namibian government, stopped the process of searching for diamonds. The company then drained and cleared a portion of the seabed and built an earth wall to prevent the water from entering the area so that the geologist could have a better view of the amazing find.
The first items that were recovered from the shipwreck were ingots, which the De Beers geologists did not recognize, so they sent photos of the items to archaeologist Dieter Noli. Noli has been working in the Namibian desert for almost thirty years and has even spent a great amount of time working with the De Beers Company and advising them of the archaeological impact of mining for diamonds off the African coast. Even though Noli was an expert in the desert, he knew that there was a good chance that the De Beers Company would uncover a shipwreck during their mining expeditions and began to prepare for the occurrence by taking diving classes and learning about the history of the area. Even with his vast knowledge, Noli knew that he would need another expert in the field to assist with the discovery and brought in Bruno Wetz.
Noli and Wetz began to examine the amazing artifacts on the ship and determined that the ship sank around the late 1400s or early 1500s, which would have been the time that Columbus was exploring the New World. Noli and Wetz began investigating the ship to try to determine what the exact cause of the wreck was. One of the main reasons why the wreck occurred is that this particular stretch of coast has a long history of severe storms and very dense fog, which would make it difficult for even the most experienced captain to navigate a ship. They also could not find any evidence of navigational equipment in the wreckage. The only type of navigational tool that was found was an astrolabe, which can only be used to determine how far south or north the ship has sailed.
Noli and Wetz also determined that the wood on the ship had been attacked by worms before the ship sank, which means that the wood was rotten and would not be able to withstand the force of a violent storm. There was also such a large amount of treasure on the ship that the two men speculated that the treasure probably shifted during the storm and ultimately cause the ship to tilt and sink. After the men determined the cause of the wreck, they turned their attention to the massive amount of treasure that was aboard the ship.
Noli and Wetz have plans to visit both Portugal and Spain to try to determine the origins of the ship and its purpose for being in the high seas; however, based on the materials that the two men have already found on the ship, they have reached a feasible conclusion as to the ships purpose.
Based on the metals that were found on the ship, Noli and Wetz have proposed that the ship was sent to obtain metals that could be used to construct cannons. This theory can only explain the large amounts of copper that were found on the ship, not the vast stores of gold coins, ivory and gemstones. Noli and Wetz first assumed that the gold coins were to be used as payment for the copper that was found on the ship, but if the copper was already on the ship, shouldn’t the gold coins be gone? The only explanation that Noli and Wetz could come up with was that the captain of the sunken ship was either a very good negotiator, or he was a pirate.
The excavation of the sunken ship is ongoing and there are bound to be a variety of other valuable items found in the wreckage. It is even possible that the De Beers Company will be able to find a great deal of profit from accidentally stumbling upon the ship wreck, especially if there are more gemstones located at the bottom of the sea.
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