Time Capsules Beneath the Sea

With the cold winter behind us, we pay a visit to the Penghu Underwater Archaeology Work Station. Inside the unassuming premises, a faint briny smell wafts through the air. Artifacts of all kinds are soaking in plastic bins strewn across the floor. Shelves contain an assortment of tools such as basic diving equipment, dive computers, diving shears, waterproof whiteboards and even seafloor grid markers, buoys, and high-spec sonar equipment. Hanging on the wall is an office whiteboard displaying a jam-packed work schedule.

Academician Tsang Cheng-hwa of Academia Sinica first encountered underwater archaeology when he was in the US, and has been a pioneer in championing its development in Taiwan. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Underwater archaeology pioneer

Little more than a decade has passed since Taiwan began devoting national resources to underwater archaeology. Archaeologist Tsang Cheng-hwa, an academician of Academia Sinica, has been a key figure behind the develop­ment of the field.

“The seabed is like a giant museum,” Tsang says.  “The importance of these cultural relics and the cultural landscapes they span are not inferior to what can be found on land, and are perhaps even superior in some ways.” Since these sunken ships, airplanes, ruins, and fossil remains have been sealed off for many years, they often contain rich historical informa­tion about shipbuilding, commercial trade, crafts, and significant events, and thus are valuable cultural assets for all humankind.

Tsang first encountered the field of underwater archaeology while studying archaeology at Harvard. “I found it intriguing at the time, and I felt that Taiwan should have it, too.” Tsang adds that the vast areas of sea around Taiwan—some of which were land 12,000 years ago, linking Taiwan with the Eurasian mainland—later became important waterways along the ancient Silk Road sea routes and during the Age of Discovery. This, combined with difficult passage through the Taiwan Strait due to rapid ocean currents and numerous submerged reefs, makes it easy to imagine that there are many underwater artifacts waiting to be dis­covered here. Since returning to Taiwan from the States, Tsang has cham­pioned the importance of develop­ing underwater archae­ology in Taiwan.

In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH Convention), clearly defining the types of underwater archaeological assets, their value, and how they are to be protected. In harmony with this mission, Taiwan’s Executive Yuan published the National Ocean Policy Guidelines in 2004. The same year, Tsang was commissioned by the Council for Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Culture) to organize a specialized underwater archaeology team.

The well-trained team has experts in fields such as archaeology, marine technology and artifact conservation.

Archaeology, from land to sea

Thanks to the influence of the movie Titanic, people have boundless flights of imagination when it comes to underwater artifacts. However, there is a world of difference between underwater “treasure hunting” and underwater archaeology. Tsang explains that “underwater archaeology is a specialized skill and field of study which requires an abundance of perseverance and patience.”

In addition to combining techniques found in conventional archaeology, diving, and marine surveying, underwater archaeology is also a mixture of various specializations such as navigation, history, and arti­fact conservation and restoration. It is an interdisciplinary field that embraces expertise in areas like marine technology, diving, and conservation of recovered artifacts.

When facing the vastness of the ocean, where does one even begin? The trained professional team has a clear method of operation. They first look through historical documents for clues on ports, trade routes, and naval warfare, then add in data about seafloor topography and the local marine environment. There are also many boat captains and divers around Taiwan like Huang Jiajin who are knowledgeable about hidden under­water artifacts and may learn of the locations of sunken ships through their fishing activities. Thanks to the team’s un­remitting efforts to learn from these industry insiders, they have gained reliable sources of information.

Lastly, the team cross-references all collected data points and draws up a map of areas where they are most likely to discover archaeological sites. They then comb the ocean floor visually, or using side-scan sonar, multibeam echosounders, sub-­bottom profilers, magnetometers, and even unmanned underwater vehicles.

Archaeologists lay out a grid pattern on the seabed to precisely locate finds.

Education and enjoyment

“No one move!” In a police crime drama, the clever, sharp-eyed detectives focus all their attention on the chaotic crime scene before them. They attempt to piece together a plausible sequence of events from the scattered clues. In this aspect, the work of an archaeologist is remarkably similar to that of a crime scene investigator.    

In archaeology, it takes a considerable amount of elbow grease to make a discovery, but that is when the real show begins. Experts must make judgements and extra­polations about the details and significance of an object based on the clues uncovered at the site while also constructing its histor­ical context. As of December 2020, the team had already discovered 97 objects of interest in the waters off Tainan’s Anping District, the Penghu Islands, and Green Island. Of these objects, 20 are confirmed shipwrecks, with six of those being classified as objects of high cultural value.

2021 marks 13 years since a program of underwater archaeology was formally initiated in Taiwan. Tsang also advocates for the promotion of underwater cultural resources for educa­tional and commercial development. In doing so, he hopes to help conserve cultural heritage while also educating the public and creating profit through tourism, just like the world-renowned Vasa Museum in Sweden and the Mary Rose Museum in England.

The recovery and subsequent management of underwater artifacts is no small task. The process can span many years, even decades, and can come at considerable monetary cost. The UCH Convention recom­mends that underwater cultural heritage be preserved in situ and not removed from its original site.  However, Tsang’s team is implementing a plan to properly recover certain artifacts from the seabed, with the aim of creating Taiwan’s very own museum of underwater cultural relics, where these deep-sea treasures can be enjoyed by all.

Many artifacts on the sea floor have a high economic value. Taiwan has already passed laws to protect them.

SS Bokhara
The British liner SS Bokhara set sail from Shanghai for Hong Kong in October 1892. The ship sank after striking a reef off Penghu’s Gupo Island in a typhoon. Its passengers included a team of cricket players who were to compete in Hong Kong. It also carried mail and other cargo. News of the loss caused a great stir and was covered by the New York Times and many British news outlets. Donations were later raised in the UK and other countries to erect a monument for the disaster on Gupo Island.

Artifacts that have been recovered from the sea must undergo a process of cleaning and desalination, which can take many years or even decades.

Guang Bing
Launched in 1891, the torpedo cruiser Guang Bing (Kwang Ping) was a steam-powered armored ship with modern weapons, very different from traditional Chinese sailing ships. After Qing China’s defeat in the First Sino‒Japanese War, it fled to Weihaiwei (now Weihai) in Shandong, but was captured by Japanese forces and incorporated into the Japanese navy. In 1895, the Guang Bing came to Taiwan as a training ship, but sank after striking a reef off Penghu.

Simple objects at first glance, these artifacts carry a wealth of information about trade, navigation techniques, crafts, and daily life. (photo by Lin Min-hsuan)

Movies have roused the curiosity of many viewers about underwater archaeology, and many related exhibits in Taiwan have proved popular with the public. (photo by Lin Min-Hsuan)