Draft:Guangbing Ship

Guangbing Ship

Guangbing Ship is a self-made protected cruiser from the Qing Dynasty. It was a new warship built by the Foochow Arsenal Mawei shipyard during the Qing Dynasty's Guangxu Period. This ship was equipped with new weapons and the latest contemporary propulsion motors, which differed from the traditional Chinese sailboats that relied on wind power. This ship was initially assigned to the Guangdong Navy. On the eve of the First Sino-Japanese War, this ship joined the Beiyang Fleet to assist in the war against Japan. Guangbing Ship participated in the Battle of Yalu River (Battle of Dadonggou) during this war. It was defeated and surrendered in the Battle of Weihaiwei on February 17, 1895. After the Japanese army took it over, it was incorporated into the Imperial Japanese Navy under the same name. Less than a year after the Japanese army took over the ship, it set off from Magong, Penghu, on December 21, 1895, to perform a mission on Batao Island. It hit a reef and sank 1.4 nautical miles from the Jiangjunao Islet of Batao Island.

In July 2010, after underwater exploration, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage's archaeological team successfully located the shipwreck site on the shallow reef off the coast of Jiangjunao Islet. On September 7, 8, 9, and October 24, 2010, several underwater explorations were conducted, and many relevant relics were discovered. The shipwreck site is approximately 28 meters from east to west and 37 meters from north to south, covering an area of ​​roughly 1,036 square meters. The water depth of the surrounding sea area is between 15 and 20 meters.

Since the shipwreck remains are covered by coral reefs and marine life, the team implemented an underwater grid layout in stages to conduct a comprehensive survey. However, the underwater layout is often damaged because the Guangbing Ship wreckage is distributed across the fishing area. In 2013, the underwater archeology team re-conducted underwater mapping of the shipwreck site and investigated the layout of the shell groups. The investigation was divided into three grids from north to south and four from east to west, with 12 grids. The team also found several boxes of long-type rapid-fire shells on the south side of the shipwreck site.

The relics excavated from Guangbing Ship include ship parts, glass, copper bars, porcelain plates, and blue and white porcelain. The desalination treatment has been completed, and many cannonballs are still at the underwater site. The Guangbing Ship shipwreck site is currently protected using on-site preservation and regular monitoring. This shipwreck site can be used as research material for modern Chinese ships, the history of Chinese and Japanese ship technology, the history of war, the history of ceramics, etc. This shipwreck site was prioritized for management and protection by the Bureau of Cultural Heritage due to its cultural assets and research value. It was listed and tracked as an important underwater cultural asset of Taiwan in 2015.