via The Maritime Executive, 31 October 2023: Chinese researchers discovered two 1500s-era shipwrecks in the South China Sea, off Hainan Island’s southern tip. The wrecks, exhibiting preserved cargo including Ming Dynasty porcelain and possibly Malaccan ebony logs, unveil historical trade routes, substantiating China’s historical claims over the region’s maritime activities.
The wrecks, dubbed No. 1 and No. 2, are located just off the southern tip of Hainan Island. They sit at a depth of about 1,500 meters below the surface, making them the deepest Chinese wreck finds in the South China Sea.
Sonar survey data reveals limited signs of the ships’ hull structures, but their wares are neatly laid out on the bottom in rows.
The first ship contained porcelain ware from the Ming Dynasty. “The cargo was mainly Jingdezhen kiln porcelain, and it is speculated that it was a private merchant ship that departed from Fujian or Guangdong and headed for a trade transit point such as Malacca,” said Song Jianzhong, research librarian of the NCHA’s Archaeological Research Center.
The second ship carried a cargo of logs – possibly ebony from Malacca, according to Song. (Ebony is dense enough to sink in water.)
Source: China Claims Discovery of Ancient Wrecks in South China Sea
