Researchers are working to determine if a sunken ship discovered off Green Island is a legendary Dutch ship that locals say ran aground there in the 19th century, an academic said on Wednesday.
The shipwreck appears to be the remains of a Western wooden vessel dating to at least 100 years ago, Academia Sinica academician Tsang Cheng-hwa (臧振華) said.
It was discovered on the seabed by an Academia Sinica underwater archeology research team led by Tsang in June last year.
The design of the wreck, which has been dubbed “Green Island No. 1” since its discovery, does not look like a traditional Asian vessel, Tsang said.
However, he added that it was too early to say whether this is the ship that Green Island’s 3,800 people still tell stories about.
Local legend has it that in the late 19th century, a Dutch trade boat ran aground there after hitting reefs. The crew is said to have fled instead of landing on the strange island, leaving their badly damaged ship behind, as well as enough rice for the residents of the island for three years.
Tsang said his team discovered Green Island No. 1 with the guidance of local divers, after launching an underwater search in the area last year.
In a preliminary study, he said, they found the wooden boards of the sunken ship were copper-plated, indicating that the vessel was large and did not originate in Asia.
“Judging from the thickness of the wooden boards, it is unlikely to have been a small boat,” Tsang said.
However, he said a report in Wednesday’s United Evening News, which said that the legendary ship and the wreck are in fact the same ship, was drawing conclusions too soon.
It is challenging to examine the ship underwater because its pieces have been scattered around the area, the veteran archeologist said.
Most of the wreck has been covered by coral reefs, he said, but his team had been commissioned by the Ministry of Culture to conduct an in-depth probe.
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