“This is a cultural treasure of immense importance,” Bruno Werz said when offering journalists a first glimpse of the precious find at the excavation site in Namibia’s diamond-rich ‘no-go zone’. Werz is leading a team of archeologists and geologists from Namibia, the United States, Portugal, South Africa and Zimbabwe in excavating the ship. The wreck has been described as the best-preserved example of early Portuguese ships found outside of Portugal. It’s good state of preservation being attributed its long burial in sand, which preserves wood. Apart from the gold, the ship’s rich bounty includes 1.4kg of silver coins, copper ingots, cannons and navigational instruments. Not Bartholomew Diaz' ship It has been speculated that the vessel could be linked to Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Diaz, the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope in the year 1488. But the discovery of about 2000 gold coins minted in 1525, 25 years after Diaz disappeared, put that theory to rest