Location: Oranjemund, Namibia
Year Discovered: 2008
Est. Value: $13 million*
When you think of places where you’d find a ship, the Namibian Desert is probably last on your list. But, believe it or not, that is where the remains of the Bom Jesus were found. This Portuguese ship disappeared five-hundred-years ago when it sank off the coast of Namibia. As the coastline waters receded, the Bom Jesus reemerged.
Nambian Desert Shipwreck @HIstoryCollection/Twitter.com When it sank in a fierce storm, it was on its way to India laden with treasures like gold and copper ingots. Diamond miners discovered the ship and alerted the Namibian government, who sent out a team to dig up the wreckage. Two-thousand pure gold coins and tens of thousands of pounds of copper ingots were discovered on the Bom Jesus, almost all intact.