Archaeologists in China have restored a 150-year-old sunken ship from the Yangtze river's bottom, Asia's longest body of water, and found a jackpot of astounding treasures there. The Yangtze Estuary No. 2, a 125-foot-long ship, is one of the biggest and finest ancient wooden shipwrecks ever found in China.
The team of archaeologists discovered magnificent cultural artefacts aboard the sunken ship, including Chinese-made finely embellished bowls and pots, in four of the cabins, Mirror reported. Many cultural treasures were discovered inside and around the hull, including purple clay wares, iron anchors, masts, and pieces of Vietnamese hookah tanks.
The outstanding condition of the ship and the variety of ancient artifacts discovered onboard, according to a spokesperson for the China National Cultural Heritage Administration, are of great importance for studies into the origins of shipbuilding, the shipping industry, and ceramic manufacturing in China and around the world.
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The sunken ship was fully observed by scientists in 2015, and they have spent the last seven years conducting a deep ocean archaeological research and discovery. The wooden ship was raised to the surface for the first time on November 21 of this year after nighttime operation. 22 enormous steel arched beams were employed in the three-hour-long recovery mission to raise the ship and a sizable watertight chamber built especially for the task from the sea bottom.
According to Global Times, this weighed more than 8,000 tonnes in total. Sonar searching done during the investigation confirmed that the vessel is 33 feet wide and initially had 31 cabins. Additionally, the scientists were able to verify that the sailing ship originated from the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, which lasted from 1862 to 1875.
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The ship was most presumably employed as a flat-bottomed watercraft, primarily for trade and transportation. Additionally, according to experts, the ship was located on a section of shallow water at the northeastern tip of Hengsha Island in Shanghai's Chongming district, 5.5 metres below the ocean's surface.
The massive wooden ship will be brought to a shore at the former Shanghai Shipyard site in the Yangpu district where more investigation and preservation work will be done. A sunken ship museum is also anticipated to be built on the archaeological site as part of the city's five-year cultural heritage protection.
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