Mystery wreck discovered in Namibia: 30-04-2008
While Namibia is often the destination for luxury safari holidays, an undersea wreck of a treasure ship has been discovered adding extra mystery to the location.
De Beers, the undersea diamond miner, said that it uncovered the wreckage which includes six bronze cannons, thousands of fold coins and over 50 elephant tusks.
The wreck was found in the area behind a sea wall used to push back the Atlantic Ocean in search for diamonds.
In a statement to Bloomberg, the Namdeb Diamond Corp, said: "If the experts' assessments are correct, the shipwreck could date back to the late 1400s or early 1500s, making it a discovery of global significance."
As well as the cannons and coins, the ship was packed with navigational instruments and several tonnes of copper.
The ship was most likely to be a trading vessel and the Namibian government is in discussions with Spain and Portugal in an attempt to identify its origins.
All mining operations were stopped in the area when some gold coins were uncovered and archaeologists that were called in think it could be the oldest sub-Saharan shipwreck ever to be found.