Searching for Sunken Ships of the Beiyang Fleet

Today, we’ll continue to talk about the endeavors of underwater archaeologists as they work to salvage the remnants of the Beiyang Fleet warships that were lost in the world’s first large-scale naval battle between steam-powered armored fleets, known as the Battle of the Yellow Sea.

Transcript

Searching for Sunken Ships of the Beiyang Fleet

Today, we’ll continue to talk about the endeavors of underwater archaeologists as they work to salvage the remnants of the Beiyang Fleet warships that were lost in the world’s first large-scale naval battle between steam-powered armored fleets, known as the Battle of the Yellow Sea.

In the intense battle on September 17, 1894, the Jingyuan and Zhiyuan were positioned on the left flank of the formation, organized into separate squadrons to support each other. After the sinking of the Zhiyuan, the nearby Jiyuan, which was part of the same squadron, seeing the situation, fled the battlefield. The Guangjia, also part of the same squadron, followed suit. As a result, the left flank collapsed completely, leaving the Jingyuan to fight alone. 

Four Japanese ships – Yoshino, Takachiho, Akitsushima, and Naniwa – then surrounded it, launching torpedoes and a barrage of shells, causing severe damage to the Jingyuan. Flames erupted, and water began flooding the ship. At 5:29 PM, the Jingyuan listed heavily to port and capsized, becoming the last warship lost by the Beiyang Fleet in the engagement. 

Fuyuka Tadao, a staff officer aboard the Yoshino, later provided a detailed account of the scene: “When the ship tilted, one could see the exposed iron beams of the hull, which was truly a spectacle. The crew of the ship either climbed onto rope ladders, preparing to swim away when it capsized, or climbed up the mast in an attempt to survive... Soon, the Jingyuan reached the end of its life, its propeller spinning uselessly above the water, and its red hull exposed to the surface.”

These historical accounts were all confirmed through archaeological evidence: the broken mast spars and canopy poles found on the left side of the wreckage indicate that the ship indeed capsized before sinking; the scorch marks on wooden poles and a batch of ammunition that exploded due to high temperatures provided side evidence of severe fire damage to the stern.

Compared to the Zhiyuan, the condition of the Jingyuan is much better preserved because it capsized on the seabed, allowing most of the living quarters and weapons on deck to remain intact. Particularly noteworthy is a circular brass-framed porthole in the officers’ quarters located at the stern, with the glass still intact. Through it, one can see fine sediment filling the cabin. If someone was inside when the ship sank, their remains may still be there. 

Jiang Bo told The Context that: “When the archaeological team members encountered this porthole underwater, it was as if they were witnessing the sacrifices of those heroes. At that moment, we were truly having a conversation with history and these heroic ancestors. History may be a pile of ashes, but there is still warmth deep within those ashes.”

The greatest damage to the wreckage came from illegal salvaging activities. According to Zhou Chunshui’s estimation, the portion of the ship buried two meters deep in the mud was likely affected. Based on fishermen’s accounts, at least three groups of criminals have been active in the area, with the most recent incident occurring in 2009.

These individuals, speaking with southern accents, erected a steel platform on their boat, hoisted a massive iron hammer to smash into the sea, and used large iron claws to retrieve copper and iron, hauling up several tons in a single operation. During the archaeological team’s cleanup, they confirmed numerous signs of violent looting: sealed hatch doors, main ribs, crossbeams, lead water pipes, and main water pipes scattered in disarray around the stern. Many items were displaced, with some steam engine components and the bow anchor apparatus that should have been located in the midship area appearing at the stern. Additionally, there were numerous wooden and steel boards scattered around the hull, with fracture marks indicating they had fallen during salvage operations.

Once major media outlets got wind of these crimes, relevant authorities stepped in and eventually the looting was halted. However, the reason it had not received sufficient attention earlier was largely due to the fact that the cultural heritage department had not yet designated the site as a protected area. In this sense, the archaeological operation in 2018 was a rescue and protection effort for this heroic sunken warship. 

As Zhou Chunshui put it, “Only by conducting basic investigations to understand its location, underwater preservation condition, and underwater environment, can we know what steps to take next. Otherwise, even infrastructure projects such as wind farms and docks could destroy them.”

The outcome of the Battle of the Yellow Sea has long been debated, but the fate of the participating ships is clear: the Beiyang Fleet lost five out of ten ships, with others sustaining varying degrees of damage, while the Japanese fleet saw five ships severely damaged, but none being sunk. 

The day after the battle, on September 18, the surviving Beiyang ships began returning to Lüshun Port. On September 19, the Qing court issued a decree instructing Li Hongzhang to assess casualties, provide aid, and expedite repairs to prepare for future battles. However, Lüshun Port’s base was not designed for large-scale repairs, with only one large dry dock, causing ships other than heavily damaged ones like the Dingyuan and Zhenyuan to wait in line. 

Meanwhile, most Japanese ships regrouped at an anchorage point on the western coast of Korea, conducting emergency repairs with technical workers and supplies from the transport ships Gensan Maru and Chiyoda Maru, and within three or four days, most repairs were completed. 

From September 22 to October 22, 1894, Japanese ships were active in the Bohai Bay and western Yellow Sea; meanwhile, the Beiyang Fleet didn’t leave Lüshun Port until October 18, heading south towards Weihai on the coast of Shandong Province. On November 22, Japan captured Lüshun Port. Two months later, on January 20, 1895, Japan launched an attack on Weihai, and within a few days, the Beiyang Fleet was surrounded by the Japanese navy and army. On February 17, the entire Beiyang Fleet was destroyed, with 10 ships including the Zhenyuan, Jiyuan, Pingyuan, and Guangbing captured by Japan, while the Dingyuan, Jingyuan, and Laiyuan were sunk.

In 2017, as the investigation into sunken ships in the northern Yellow Sea made significant progress, archaeological work in the Weihai Bay began. Relatively speaking, this part of the work was slightly easier, as the three sunken ships were closer to the shore, with more abundant photographic evidence, allowing for a rough identification of their locations based on the shape of the coastline in the pictures. However, the preliminary investigation in this area did not uncover intact shipwrecks, only scattered artifacts such as congealed masses, broken wooden boards, and twisted steel plates. This was due to the extensive salvaging of shipwrecks in Weihai Bay by Japan in the past, although similar actions occurred in the northern Yellow Sea, the distance from shore and more complex sea conditions resulted in less damage there.

In the Battle of Weihaiwei, the Laiyuan ship was the first to sink. In 2023, archaeologists discovered this sunken ship, now serving as an anchorage for tourist ferries. They found a spoon engraved with the name “Laiyuan” and two sets of sailors’ identification tags with specific ranks and names, confirming it as the armored cruiser that disappeared beneath the waves after being torpedoed during a surprise attack by the Japanese in the early hours of the morning. Additionally, the site yielded a wealth of daily items such as razors, copper locks, mahjong tiles, and chess pieces, greatly enriching the image of the naval officers and soldiers of that time.

In the battle guarding Liu Gong Island, after the Dingyuan had taken heavy damage on its port side amidships, the Jingyuan battleship was temporarily used as a substitute flagship and inflicted damage on two Japanese ships. Subsequently, the Japanese used the previously captured Zhao Bei Zui Battery to shell it. Two shots hit the left side, with shells passing through the hull and exiting below the waterline causing catastrophic flooding. Despite all efforts to save the ship, it was eventually grounded in Weihai Bay. 

Beiyang Fleet Admiral Ding Ruchang and Jingyuan’s captain, Ye Zugui, intended to go down with the ship but were rescued by their subordinates at the last moment. The next afternoon, to prevent it from falling into enemy hands, Ding Ruchang ordered the Guangbing ship to launch torpedoes, sinking the Jingyuan. In the summer of 2022, this sunken ship was also found in Weihai Bay, with a 150 kg shell becoming the key evidence confirming its identity, matching the 210 mm size of the Jingyuan ship’s main guns.

At the moment when the defeat was inevitable, the Dingyuan ship was also subjected to self-destructive measures alongside the Jingyuan ship. In the Battle of the Yellow Sea, despite being hit and set on fire, it withstood repeated attacks from five Japanese ships. In the Battle of Weihaiwei, after the ship heavily listed, it intentionally ran aground and continued to serve as a gun battery. 

On September 17, 2020, after more than 10 hours of dredging, cable threading, protection, and lifting, a piece of armor from the Dingyuan ship, measuring 283.2 cm long, 260 cm wide, 30.5 cm thick, and weighing 18.7 tons, was salvaged. This piece of armor, manufactured by the German AG Vulcan Stettin shipyard, was once acclaimed as “the first-class armored ship in the world” for its exceptional quality.

Regarding this armor, Zhou Chunshui provided more specific details to The Context, stating, “It is composed of an outer layer of hard steel and an inner layer of soft steel. This large armor is installed piece by piece, with six holes on the back, bolted onto the exterior of the warship, lined with some wood. Only a small portion of it is installed at the waterline to avoid excessive weight affecting the ship’s speed. We found that this piece of armor has a slight curvature, indicating it was located at the position of the main gun. In the same location, we also found a wooden deck with a matching curvature, indicating its alignment with the gun mount.”

With the significant progress made in “Archaeology China”, the major project at the National Cultural Heritage Administration on October 19, 2023, the on-site investigation of the sunken ships of the Jiawu Battle also concluded for the time being. All areas cleared of sediment have been backfilled, and zinc blocks have been welded onto the steel plates of the ship’s hull using special methods to slow down corrosion by seawater. 

Next, the restoration and preservation of the retrieved artifacts will become crucial tasks. Artifacts submerged in seawater for over a century must undergo complex desalination and rust removal processes for metal objects, drying for wooden objects, and reshaping for porcelain objects to ensure their stability and health. Only after restoration and study can these artifacts participate in various forms of exhibitions, achieving publicity, promotion, and popularization for the public.

The opportunity to see firsthand the wreckage of sunken ships may be a primary concern for many, however, such a notion isn’t very feasible currently. Zhou Chunshui stated, “From a technical perspective, salvaging a sunken ship isn’t too difficult. The main challenge is, where do you put such a large object once it’s salvaged? Moreover, many sunken ships are not in a condition suitable for salvage. Preservation comes first, whether it’s ancient shipwrecks or modern ones, and the priority is on-site protection.”

Jiang Bo told The Context that on-site protection is the first principle of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage adopted in 2001, which is a global consensus. He said, “Underwater cultural relics will inevitably suffer slow corrosion, oxidation, and biological damage in the course of history. However, relics over 100 years old generally reach a certain level of stability, especially those covered by sediment. As long as the marine environment, temperature, and humidity remain unchanged, they should be able to be preserved.”

Furthermore, he believes that the sunken ships of the Beiyang Fleet have a unique aspect: “They are naval battlefields, and the remains of the Beiyang naval officers and sailors hold a sacred significance. We should respect them by treating them as commemorative sites and not disturbing them. The purpose of archaeology is not to satisfy our curiosity. Archaeology should be about treating artifacts, heritage, and history with a scientific attitude. When we are not capable of dealing with them, the best approach is to preserve and pass them on.”

In 2023, the first comprehensive summary of the Beiyang Fleet’s sunken ships was published with the title, “Underwater Archaeological Survey Report of the Zhiyuan”. After seven years of research, the authors meticulously documented and interpreted the findings of on-site investigations, providing valuable data for the study of the Beiyang Fleet and the Battle of Jiawu. Over the next five years, the focus of participants in related projects will shift to the archaeological reports of other sunken ships. 

According to Zhou Chunshui, “In 2024, the main focus will be on compiling the report for the Dingyuan ship; then by 2025 or 2026, we aim to complete the Jingyuan ship report. After that, it will take another year or two to complete the report for the Laiyuan ship.”

However, the completion of all reports in five years does not signify the end of work related to the Beiyang Fleet’s sunken ships. Zhou Chunshui told The Context that the discoveries of the past decade have been very rich, deserving more than a decade of research.

Well, that’s the end of our podcast. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Xu Pengyuan, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.