Centuries-old shipwreck emerges on beach after deadly typhoon

Severe coastal erosion caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi exposed a centuries-old shipwreck in Vietnam, providing a narrow window to salvage what experts say could be a historically significant find.

Initially discovered in 2023 off the coast of Hoi An, the 57-foot vessel — whose heavy wood-ribbed hull survived hundreds of years of rough seas almost perfectly intact — was resubmerged before authorities could reclaim it.

Experts have not yet dated the wreck, but preliminary findings suggest it was built between the 14th and 16th centuries — when UNESCO-listed Hoi An was at the center of a thriving regional trade in silk, ceramics and spices.

"We are currently preparing to apply for an emergency excavation (permit)," Pham Phu Ngoc, director of the Hoi An Center for the Preservation of World Cultural Heritage, told AFP on Monday after the wreck resurfaced following the passage of Typhoon Kalmaegi last week.

"The discovery of this ancient ship is clear evidence of Hoi An's significant historical role in regional trade," he said, adding that more of the ship had been exposed this time, "which could provide us with more information."

A team of experts from the Hoi An preservation center, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City and a local museum surveyed the wreck last year.

In addition to the rough age estimate, they found it had been made from "durable and high-strength timber" and reinforced with waterproofing materials to seal its joints.

"The ship's structure suggests that it was capable of long-distance voyages, likely used for maritime trade or naval operations," the Hoi An center said in an earlier statement.

The relic is at risk of "serious deterioration without immediate conservation actions," given the severe coastal erosion and the ship's frequent exposure to harsh weather conditions, it said.

The wreck was still clearly visible on Monday, with crowds gathered on the beach to view its striking skeletal frame.

Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 188 people in the Philippines and five in Vietnam, BBC News reported, citing figures released from the two countries.

Long-hidden shipwrecks have been recently exposed by weather in the U.S.

In May, a Wisconsin angler discovered the wreck of a tugboat submerged in the waters of Lake Michigan for more than a century after winter storms exposed it.

In 2024, erosion caused by storms and exceptionally high tides revealed a large section of a 114-year-old shipwreck in Massachusetts.

In 2022, severe beach erosion from two hurricanes helped uncover a wooden ship dating from the 1800s that had been buried under the sand in Florida.

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