Divers Salvage Valuable Artifacts From the 500-Year-Old Shipwreck of Vasco da Gama’s ‘Esmerelda’

Divers have salvaged valuable artifacts from the 500-year-old wreck of the Esmerelda, a ship that sunk off the coast of Oman in 1503 during Europe's "Age of Discovery." The wreck was first discovered in 1998, but was only recently identified as the Esmerelda which sailed as part of explorer Vasco da Gama's fleet before a storm sank it.

Recovered artifacts include rare coins, a bell believed to be the oldest ship's bell ever salvaged, and a copper-alloy disc with the personal emblem of Manuel I of Portugal.

via National Geographic