Discovery of Treasure in Portuguese Ship Back on the Spotlight

June 14, 2016

"O Bom Jesus" sank 500 years ago and was discovered by miners, in Namibia. It contained a treasure of over 11 M euros. The story was recovered by an American News Station.

The story was published this week (9 June 2016) by the American station "Fox News" and recovers the history of one of the greatest discoveries of shipwrecks ever. The article caught the attention of Portuguese media, although the restoration and cataloging of the collection had been completed several years ago.

The Portuguese ship was found in Oranjemund, in the Namib Desert, designated by the Portuguese and Spanish sailors as "The Gates of Hell." The ship disappeared in 1533, after having left Lisbon, sailing towards India.

In 2008, the first objects that led to the discovery of the ship, located right next to a diamond mine, were found. The treasure’s recovery was possible due to the engineering work that involved the creation of an artificial lake whose water was then pumped, to access the mine. It was because of this drainage work that the ship was found, and the treasure rescued. The "Bom Jesus" was loaded with gold coins and ingots, tin and ivory tusks.


Edited and translated: Jornal de Notícias