As well as offering important historical insight, the world's most notable shipwreck discoveries have wowed us with unimaginable riches. Feast your eyes on 18 of the most sensational hauls ever, from the Tudor Mary Rose to the 'Holy Grail of shipwrecks' that was photographed earlier this month. 

The ship was eventually rediscovered by the Columbus-America Discovery Group in 1988 and $150 million worth of gold was salvaged. That's the equivalent of $325 million (£268m) worth today. The Group's head honcho Tommy Gregory Thompson, who sold $52 million worth in 2000, was later sued by investors for not delivering on their returns. 

Private marine exploration company Intersal discovered the wreck in November 1996, and have spent years salvaging the notorious pirate's booty. The retrieved treasures include a wine glass stem decorated with diamonds and tiny gold crowns, an ornate sword guard, and coins depicting Queen Anne.

America's greatest treasures waiting to be found

Regarded as 'the Holy Grail of shipwrecks', the location of the vessel was finally pinpointed in 2015 by the Colombian Navy, and a salvage operation was announced in July 2018. The mission was halted following several legal issues, including the question of whether recovered treasures could pay for the search operation. But in June this year, researchers hailed their latest success as new underwater images revealed the extent of the treasure on board... 

Experts believe that between $1 billion (£827m) and $20 billion (£16.5bn) worth of gold, silver, and emeralds could potentially be recovered from the wreck. The images have shown that items of historical significance are also waiting to be recovered, including Chinese dinner sets, cannons, and coins. 

The wreck is currently being preserved with a view to being fully recovered in the future. But it's likely the Colombian rescuers could face legal challenges from Spain, as well as Bolivia's indigenous Qhara Qhara nation, due to conflicting claims over the treasure trove. 

We can't forget about the most famous shipwreck of all time, the RMS Titanic. The luxury cruise liner was built at a cost of $7.5 million in 1912, which is the equivalent of around $221.4 million (£184m) today. But the ship hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 on its way to New York City. The ship is known for the tragic loss of over 1,500 passengers and many valuable items were also lost during the disaster.

The ship sat at the bottom of the ocean for seven decades until it was discovered in 1985 by a joint American-French expedition. Over the past 25 years excavators have uncovered around 5,000 artefacts from the wreckage. Lost valuables range from more than $300 million (£248m) worth of diamonds to a priceless manuscript by writer Joseph Conrad, as well as five grand pianos worth thousands of dollars each.

Incredible treasures discovered in 2018

The Titanic's sister ship, the RMS Republic, also faced disaster just three years before the Titanic's iconic tragedy, colliding with the SS Florida (pictured) during its maiden voyage in January 1909. The Republic flooded with water after crashing and sank off the coast of Nantucket, causing six casualties in total, three from each of the ships. 

It's estimated that the valuables that went down with the ship were worth over $1 billion (£828.6m), including a U.S Navy Payroll worth around $60,000 and a secret shipment of American Eagle gold coins worth over $3 million, allegedly intended for the Czar of Russia, that would be worth $84.5 million (£69.8m) in today's money. 

The Igara sank off the coast of Indonesia in March 1973. The cargo ship, which was carrying over 127 thousand tonnes of Brazillian iron ore, struck a rock in the South China sea and later plunged to the bottom of the 40-metre deep waters.

The ship was valued at over $25 million (£20.7m), making it the largest ever single marine insurance loss in history at the time. The entire rear section of the ship was later salvaged and used to build a new ship in Japan.

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