Binh Thuan Wreck

(c.1608)

Background

The Binh Thuan Wreck was found by fishermen 40 miles off the coast of Binh Thuan Province, southern Vietnam, in 40 m of water. Maritime Explorations excavated the wreck in conjunction with the Vietnam Salvage Corporation (Visal), the Binh Thuan People's Committee, and the Ministry of Culture. The hull was that of a Chinese junk, 24 m long, 7 m wide, and divided into 25 narrow compartments by transverse bulkheads. Archival evidence points to the junk of the unfortunate merchant, I Sin Ho, who was transporting a cargo of silk and Chinese goods from China to Johor for the Dutch when his ship sank off the south of Vietnam in 1608.

Spread

Visal's 64 m long supply boat, Dai Lanh, was used as the base for the excavation. A total of 50 personnel, including 20 divers, lived and worked on Dai Lanh for a month and a half. Diving was by means of KMB-18 masks and surface decompression on oxygen. Airlifts were used for removing the overburden. Desalination, classification and cataloging were carried out onshore in a warehouse provided by the Binh Thuan People's Committee.

Recovered Cargo

The non-perishable cargo comprised cast-iron pans and Zhangzhou (Swatow) porcelain: blue-and-white, overglaze enamels, and a combination of the two. This is the first dedicated cargo of Zhangzhou porcelain to ever be found. There were also finer blue-and-white ceramics in a variety of shapes from other kilns. Non-ceramic artefacts were typical of a Chinese junk, and included locks, a scales set, chopsticks, and copper alloy bowls and dishes.

More Details

- Fine sediments preserved the lower hull of the 24 m long ship. She was divided by bulkheads into 25 narrow compartments. The hardwood rudder and the bases of the foremast and mainmast remained in place. The Binh Thuan Wreck has been positively identified as a Chinese junk, one of only a handful found in Southeast Asia.

- As with most ships outward bound from China, a large portion of her cargo space was occupied by cast-iron pans. The ceramics cargo was stowed above the iron, in this case the first full consignment of Zhangzhou (Swatow) porcelain ever found. In all likelihood, there was a cargo of silk above the ceramics.

- Robust but beautifully painted Zhangzhou ware was made almost exclusively for the Southeast Asian and Japanese markets. Production was limited to the period between the mid-16th and mid-17th centuries. The shipwreck cargo comprised roughly equal numbers of underglaze blue-and-white and overglaze enamel decorated ware, mostly in the form of dishes, bowls, jarlets, and covered boxes. The Southeast Asians and Japanese prized Zhangzhou porcelain above all other ceramics. It was used in ceremony and passed down as family heirlooms. In the Philippines it was often buried with the dead. A reasonable amount was also shipped to the European market.

- Research by Maritime Explorations' researcher, Peter Potters, strongly suggests that the Binh Thuan Wreck was the junk of the Chinese merchant, I Sin Ho. His ship was lost off southern Vietnam in 1608 while bringing silks and other Chinese goods to trade with the Dutch, who had set up a base in Johor.

Cargo Disposition

The Vietnamese Government selected all unique ceramics and artefacts, and four fully representative sets to remain in Vietnam for ongoing study and museum display throughout the country. The remainder, all multi-duplicates, was been made available for sale after full documentation. A large part of the proceeds was earmarked for the construction of a museum in Binh Thuan Province to house the wreck finds and other cultural objects. Christie's Australia conducted an auction in Melbourne on the 1st and 2nd of March 2004 in which all lots sold for a total of A$2 million. As yet, the museum has not been built.

Publications

1. A Cargo of Zhangzhou Porcelain off Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam, Flecker, M., Oriental Art Magazine, Vol. XLVIII, No.5, (2002/03).

2. The Binh Thuan Wreck, Christie's Australia, containing the full archaeological report by Dr. Flecker, Melbourne, 2004.

3. Treasures of the Binh Thuan Shipwreck, Flecker, M., Heritage Asia Magazine, Vol. 1 No. 4, June-August 2004.