Expedition to the Hoi An Wreck
1998-2000

Hoi An Convoy

Three excavation barges are towed from Singapore to the wrecksite. Abex TS (to the left) was the archaeological barge, Tropical 388 (in the centre) was the primary dive platform - equipped with 6-man saturation dive system - and OL Star (to the right) was a storage facility, brought in only when the enormous scale of the cargo was realised. Though economical, the fact that barges are reliant on tugs for power can be a lethal weakness when storms strike.

Dive Bell Cutaway

Schematic showing the interior of the dive bell and its main features. Such systems can operate in the ocean at depths of up to 3000 feet.

Bell changeover

A cutaway schematic showing the interior of the deck-mounted saturation system. The main accommodation is to the right, while to the left is the toilet and shower room, also known as the 'Transfer Under Pressure' chamber or TUP. An airlock above the TUP leads to the dive bell. When one 3-man team is diving the other three men are resting and eating. The six men remained pressurised in the antiquated system for 60 days, twice the regulation limit.

Seabed late 1999

A sketch showing the shipwreck laid out with grids. The dive bell is hanging to the left of the site, while a recovery crate sits to the right (with plastic baskets dangling ready to be filled). Two divers are out of the bell, connected via their umbilicals. One works with an airlift while another carries a basket of pottery back to the crate.

Treasure

Ornate blue and white storage jars, intricately modelled dragon ewers, and delicate statuettes were all part of the cargo. Before the discovery of the shipwreck Vietnam was known to have had a ceramic industry, but such mastery of ceramic production and decoration was considered beyond the nation. Plagued by war and occupation for the last 2000 years, the Hoi An hoard is the only remaining evidence of a lost golden age in Vietnam's history. The treasures were produced in a creative outpouring that lasted only 80 years before the nation descended into war once again. All other examples were exported and have soon disappeared among the jungles of what are now Malaysia and Indonesia - only the contents of one ill-fated ship survived to tell the tale of Vietnam's glory.