Treasure trove found in 500-year-old shipwreck off Africa

In this undated photo released on Thursday May 1, 2008 and supplied by Namdeb Diamond Corporation, shows a close-up of a Spanish gold coin, three Portuguese silver coins and a pair of brass dividers that were found from a shipwreck off the south west coast of Namibia. (AP Photo/Namdeb Diamond Corporation)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The ship was laden with tons of copper ingots, elephant tusks, gold coins — and cannons to fend off pirates. But it had nothing to protect it from the fierce weather off a particularly bleak stretch of inhospitable African coast, and it sank 500 years ago. Now it has been found, stumbled upon by De Beers geologists prospecting for diamonds off Namibia.

"If you're mining on the coast, sooner or later you'll find a wreck," archaeologist Dieter Noli said in an interview Thursday.

Namdeb Diamond Corp., a joint venture of the government of Namibia and De Beers, first reported the April 1 find in a statement Wednesday, and planned a news conference in the Namibian capital next week.

The company had cleared and drained a stretch of seabed, building an earthen wall to keep the water out so geologists could work. Noli said one of the geologists saw a few ingots, but had no idea what they were. Then the team found what looked like cannon barrels. full story