Shinan ship

On August 25, 1975, a South Korean fishing boat recovered several ceramic artifacts in its nets near the Imjado island in the Korean region of Shinan, in the Yellow Sea. The shipwreck was discovered shortly after.[3][4] Beginning from the summer of 1976, Korean archeologists, with support from the Korean Ministry of Culture and the Republic of Korea Navy launched a series of marine excavation projects in the area. The archeologists quickly located a corroded wooden hull and much of its cargo, at the depth of about 20 meters. The excavation process was made difficult due to low visibility and tidal currents in the area (which meant that on some days, the divers could work as little as 15 minutes[1]), and the series of expeditions, which took 9,800 man-days and 3,500 hours of diving time, concluded only after nearly a decade, in 1984.[3]

In 1981 the site of the shipwreck was designated as one of the Historic Sites of South Korea (No. 274).[5]

The ship was identified as a 14th-century Chinese vessel from the Yuan dynasty period.[3] It was likely to have been part of a trade fleet between Port Ningbo, Yuan dynasty China and Port Hakata, Kamakura shogunate of Japan.[1][2] Its characteristics can be summarized as: "32 m in length, ca. 10 m in breadth, ca. 3.5 m in depth at amidships", with cargo capacity estimated at 200 tons.[3]

Ceramics recovered from the Shinan ship

Figurines recovered from the Shinan ship

The excavation has been described as "the first underwater excavation" in South Korea leading to "the advent of underwater archaeology in the history of Korean archaeology". By the end of the excavation, the recovered objects, in addition to parts of the ship's hull itself, included "20,664 pieces of ceramic ware, 729 metal objects, 43 stone objects, 28 tons of Chinese coins, 1,017 pieces of red sandalwood (each about 1-2m long), and 1,346 other objects (including the crew's daily necessities)", and the size of the recovered cargo led to it being described in early-1990s as possibly "the richest ancient shipwreck yet discovered".[3]

Around 1981 the reconstructed ship and many of its artifacts were displayed in the Mokpo Conservation Institute for Maritime Archaeological Finds in Mokpo.[3] Subsequently, many artifacts were divided between several regional museums, although most were kept in storage. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the excavation, the National Museum of Korea held a special exhibition dedicated to the shipwreck in 2016. As 2010s, the ship and most of its related artifacts are displayed the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage (the institution is also known as the National Maritime Museum in Mokpo).[6][7][8][9]

• Quanzhou ship
• Huaguangjiao One
• Nanhai One
• Korea National Maritime Museum in Busan
• List of shipwrecks of Asia

• Green, Jeremy (1983). "The Shinan excavation, Korea: an interim report on the hull structure". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 12 (4): 293–301. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1983.tb01163.x. ISSN 1095-9270.
• Ki‐woong, Kim (1983-03-01). "The Shinan shipwreck". Museum International. 35 (1): 35–37. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0033.1983.tb00421.x. ISSN 1350-0775.
• Hoffmann, Per; Choi, Kwang-Nam; Kim, Yong-Han (1991). "The 14th-century Shinan ship: progress in conservation". The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 20 (1): 59–64. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1991.tb00297.x. ISSN 1057-2414.
• Green, Jeremy; Kim, Zae Geun (1989). "The Shinan and Wando sites, Korea: further information". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 18 (1): 33–41. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.1989.tb00171.x. ISSN 1095-9270.
• Kim, Yong Han (1995). "A Study on the Restoration of Shinan Shipwreck". Journal of Conservation Science. 4 (1): 3–10. ISSN 1225-5459.

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