Geologists hunting for diamonds instead discovered a several hundred year old shipwreck filled with silver and gold coins, copper ingots, cannons and other valuable artifacts.

Namdeb Diamond Corporation, a joint venture of the government of Namibia and the mining company De Beers, made the discovery during mining operations in the Atlantic, off the Namibia, African coast.

The goal was to search for diamonds and not shipwrecks filled with treasure, so the discovery was made in what many would think was an unusual and unexpected way.

Geologists working for Namedeb had built an earthen wall off the Namibian coast to push back and drain the enclosed water in their search for diamonds. Instead of diamonds, they happily found an archaeological treasure trove.

“The site yielded a wealth of objects, including six bronze cannons, several tonnes of copper, more than 50 elephant tusks, pewter tableware, navigational instruments, weapons and thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins, minted in the late 1400s and early 1500s,” said Hilifa Mbako, a Namdeb company spokesman.

The mining operations were halted, the site secured and archaeologists brought in to professionally excavate the site.

For a further in depth read, try the AP article on the national Geographic News page, Treasure-Laden Shipwreck Found off African Coast.