The 500-year-old wreckage of Portuguese ship piloted by an uncle of explorer Vasco da Gama has been found off the coast of Oman,archaeologists said Tuesday, a discovery that included the recovery of an incredibly rare coin.

The Esmeralda sank during a violent storm near al-Hallaniyah Island in the Indian Ocean in May 1503, killing commander Vicente Sodre and all those aboard.

Among the stone shot, ceramics, a bell and other debris, divers discovered an incredibly rare silver coin called an Indio, of which only one other is known to exist today, said David L. Mearns, the director of Blue Water Recoveries. The coins were forged in 1499 after da Gama's first voyage to India, which helps date the wreckage, he said.

"That was an amazing discovery," Mearns said. "It was like a thing you read about in a Hollywood story."

The archaeologists announced their findings in an article published Tuesday by The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.

David Sundman adds: It is amazing they were able to keep the find secret for 18 years.

To read the complete U.S. News article, see:
Remains of 1503 Shipwreck Found (www.usnews.com/news/science/articles/2016-03-15/site-of-1503-shipwreck-tied-to-vasco-da-gama-found-off-oman)

To read the CBS news article, see: Sunken treasure from a 500-year-old shipwreck (www.cbsnews.com/news/portuguese-ship-esmeralada-shipwreck-coin-artifacts-vasco-da-gama/)

To read the Times article, see: British team finds wreck and solves 500-year mystery (www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article4714981.ece?shareToken=542b481de04de004fe767208955e51a6)