National Geographic History - USA (2022-05 & 2022-06)

DISCOVERIES

in the silty waters. A lack of

investment and suitable

technology meant the Nan-

hai No. 1 remained on the

seafloor for two decades.

The site was monitored by

the Chinese Navy, who kept

Time Capsule in

The South China Sea

The 1987 discovery of a 12th-century merchant ship and its cargo

opens a porthole on China as it looked to the sea for its riches.

T

he British firm

Maritime Explo-

ration was looking

for a Dutch East

India Company

shipwreck in the South Chi-

na Sea in 1987 when it came

across something more elu-

sive: an intact merchant ves-

sel from the 1100s. With the

Chinese company Guangzhou

Salvage, the team was trying

to locate a ship belonging to

the trading company that had

sunk in the 1700s. Instead,

in the waters between Hong

Kong and Hailing Island in

Guangdong Province, they

found a 100-foot-long junk

dated to the Southern Song

period of the 12th century.

In 1125 the Song dynasty

lost control of northern Chi-

na. The emperor retreated

south and soon set up a new

capital at Lin’an (today

Hangzhou). Known as the

Southern Song, this state

survived and even flourished.

The enemy forces to their

north blocked the Southern

Song from the overland Silk

Trade routes that connected

with Central Asia and Eu-

rope. This artery had formed

the basis of the Song’s econ-

omy for centuries, but their

new southern location gave

them access to extensive sea

lanes that ran through the

South China Sea. The South-

ern Song turned to ship-

building and pursued their

fortunes on the water.

In the late 12th century, a

Song merchant ship laden

with goods set out for a

voyage but sank soon after

leaving port. Eight centuries

later, its discovery provides

a fascinating snapshot into

the moment when China set

its sights on becoming a

great naval power.

Treasures of the Deep

Divers could tell the sunken

ship must have been in the

early stages of its voyage be-

cause a huge cargo was still

packed in the hold. It was

decided to name the wreck

the Nanhai No. 1 because it

was the first such ship to be

discovered in the Nanhai,

the Chinese name for the

South China Sea.

A six-foot-thick layer of

silt had preserved its wood-

en hull and cargo, including

porcelain, Song-era coins,

and bars of silver. The team

could tell there were a lot

more goods aboard the ship,

but it would be nearly im-

possible to survey the wreck

2002

A plan to use a custom-

made metal cage to raise

the ship, now named the

Nanhai No. 1, is developed.

april 2007

The Nanhai No. 1 is

successfully raised to the

surface using a 3,000-

ton steel cage.

The Nanhai No. 1 is

transferred to the

Maritime Silk Road

Museum of Guangdong.

RAISING^1987 december^2007

OF A

WRECK

A British-Chinese

salvage operation

discovers a 12th-century

shipwreck and its cargo.

THE NANHAI NO. 1, with

much of its original cargo

in situ, is displayed in a

vast tank at the Maritime

Silk Road Museum of

Guangdong on Hailing

Island, China. The ship

and its goods are kept

partly immersed in sea

water and silt to ensure its

preservation.ALAMY/ACI

92 MAY/JUNE 2022