EARLY on Sunday morning, China’s scientific research ship Tan Suo Yi Hao (Discovery One), carrying the crewed submersible Shenhai Yongshi (Deep Sea Warrior), reached Sanya, Hainan Province, marking the successful conclusion of a ground-breaking deep-sea archaeological investigation mission.

Over the past 20-plus days, the submersible secured more than 200 cultural relics dating back about 500 years from the site of two ancient shipwrecks, which are located about 1,500 meters beneath the waters of the South China Sea.

Among the discoveries were an iron anchor measuring about one meter in length, a box that appears on first inspection to be made of wood, two pieces of timber, and various ceramic items. The mission was the first stage of a broader underwater archaeological investigation focused on the two shipwrecks, being conducted by Chinese scientists and technicians on board the research ship Tan Suo Yi Hao.

The wrecks were first discovered in October 2022 by Shenhai Yongshi after about 500 exploratory dives. They were identified as being from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and were later named the No. 1 and No. 2 shipwrecks near the northwest continental slope of the South China Sea.

The wrecks contain a large number of cultural relics of important historical, scientific and artistic value. The discovery is not only a major breakthrough for China’s deep-sea archaeology, but also a significant archaeological discovery on a global level.

According to Yan Yalin, director of the archaeology department of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the discovery demonstrates the historical facts that Chinese ancestors had developed, utilized and traveled to and from the South China Sea. It contributes to the research on China’s maritime history, ceramic history, overseas trade history and study on the Maritime Silk Road.

To conduct the archaeological investigation, a joint archaeological team consisting of about 30 people, including archaeologists and experts in geophysics, marine geology, marine biology and electromechanics, was assembled and a three-stage archaeological investigation was launched.

The mission is an unprecedented one. China started its underwater archaeological explorations in the 1980s, but most of the missions were conducted in shallow coastal areas, about 40 meters below sea level.

However, this mission is particularly challenging. The extensive nature of the archaeological findings at the site poses certain challenges. Apart from the shipwreck, large amounts of ceramics and pottery objects, as well as pieces of timber, were found scattered across an area of about 10,000 square meters, sitting on the ocean floor about 1,500 meters below sea level.

“There is no previous case worldwide of conducting an archaeological investigation on shipwrecks of such scale at this depth,” said Chen Chuanxu, deputy head of the mission.(Xinhua)