Klang Aow Wreck | Maritimeexplorations

Klang Aow Wreck

(Early 16th Century)

Background

The Klang Aow Wreck (aka Central Gulf of Thailand Wreck) was another fishermen find, some 60 miles offshore and in 60 m of water. Mike Hatcher obtained the position and mobilised a supply boat and saturation dive spread to recover the Siamese ceramics cargo. The vessel, gear, and divers were supplied by Divcon International. Mike Flecker accompanied the expedition to document the wreck site.

After the bulk of the cargo had been recovered the Thai navy intervened, and after a prolonged stand-off, confiscated the ceramics. The Thais claimed violation of territorial waters, although the site was actually in the Exclusive Economic Zone, where shipwreck excavation is not specifically banned. Free right of passage is guaranteed through the EEZ, while stopping to work is not necessarily permitted. The legality of the excavation and confiscation remains cloudy.

Spread

The supply boat, Australia Tide, was mobilised out of Singapore. She was fitted with a saturation dive spread, the first time such a system has ever been used to excavate an ancient shipwreck. An ROV assisted with relocating the site. Airlifts were chosen for excavation, and scuba was used for recording the hull.

Recovered Cargo

Over 8,000 Siamese ceramics were brought to the surface, including many storage jars. Some of the jars had organic contents, while others contained smaller ceramic items. A few pieces of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain were also recovered, typical of this type of wreck site. Three small Chinese "hand guns" were among the limited number of non-ceramic artefacts recovered.

More Details

· The Klang Aow Wreck lies in 60 m deep water some 60 nautical miles south of Sattahip.

· The hull is perhaps more intact than any other ancient shipwreck in Southeast Asian waters, and is certainly the best preserved example of the South China Sea Tradition. A diver standing within a hull compartment must reach up to touch the top of the adjacent bulkheads. She is 18 m long and 6 m wide. Surviving features that have rarely, if ever, been seen before include two longitudinal stringers, an axial main-mast support, and a rudder socket for an axial rudder.

· The cargo consisted almost entirely of Siamese ceramics, with many of the smaller items being stowed inside storage jars. Most were utilitarian in nature. There were also a few examples of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, as often occurs in wreck sites of this nature, and some Vietnamese water droppers. Non-cargo artefacts include Chinese bronze 'hand guns', gongs, and a lime-based putty.

· This wreck is one of the youngest of this very successful design to be discovered. The South China Sea Tradition is thought to have been phased out a little later in the 16th century, paralleling the decline in the Siamese ceramics export industry, as it did the rise.

Cargo Disposition

The confiscated cargo was handed over to the Thai Fine Arts Department, the institution that is responsible for shipwrecks in Thai waters.

Publications

Details of the site appear in The South-China-Sea Tradition: Hybrid Hulls of Southeast Asia, Flecker, M., International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Volume 36(1), 2007.