- Two old shipwrecks have been found near Singapore’s waters.
- One dates back about 600 years, while the other sank in 1796.
- The artifacts are set to be displayed in Singapore museums later this year.
- The researchers have found a rich trove of artifacts including cannons, ceramics, and percussion instruments.
The second and third historic shipwrecks discovered in Singapore’s waters, after that of World War II ship Empress of Asia sunk by Japanese aircraft in 1942, reports TodaySingaporeOnline.
Historic shipwrecks
Two historic shipwrecks, one dating back to the 14th century and the other to 1796, have been found in Singapore’s waters near Pedra Branca, offering “invaluable” insights into the country’s maritime past, researchers said on Wednesday.
The ongoing research
Archeological research is ongoing, and artifacts from the finds, including rare ceramics, cannons, and percussion instruments, are set to be displayed at Singapore museums later this year, the National Heritage Board (NHB) and Iseas–Yusof Ishak Institute (Iseas) announced.
2nd & 3rd historic shipwrecks
These are only the second and third historic shipwrecks ever discovered in Singapore’s waters, after that of the World War II ship Empress of Asia, which was sunk by Japanese aircraft in 1942 and recovered in 2010.
The first shipwreck dated back around 600 years and is about 100m northwest of the rocky outcrop that forms Pedra Branca. Excavations unearthed Chinese ceramics such as Longquan green-ware dishes and blue-and-white bowls.
The vessel carrying the largest Yuan dynasty – Recovered
Dr. Michael Flecker, project director of maritime archaeology projects at Iseas, said that the vessel carried the largest Yuan dynasty blue-and-white porcelain haul ever recovered in a documented shipwreck.
Many of these artifacts are rare pieces and one — a blue-and-white bottle with a flanged straight neck — is believed to be unique, he said. Dr. Flecker added that they have not sought a commercial valuation for this bottle, which was made at the Jingdezhen kilns in China.
Cargo from the second wreck contained more diverse artifacts from the late 18th century such as percussion instruments and glass beads.
Four anchors and nine cannons — typically mounted on merchant ships employed by the East India Company and used mostly for defensive purposes and signaling — were also retrieved from this site
Accidental find
The researchers said that the wrecks came to light through happenstance.
In 2015, commercial divers came across ceramic plates in a dive operation related to the removal of scraps of old cranes near Pedra Branca. During one of their post-diving dinners, they saw on television that similar ceramic plates had also been excavated at Express Place, and decided to approach NHB and Iseas.
The next year, excavations to recover the first shipwreck started and lasted until 2019. It is impossible to determine the origin of the ship, Dr. Flecker said, as there are no surviving hull remains. He added that ships, particularly those from Asia, probably did not have names during that period
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Source : TODAY
