말레이시아, 2차대전 침몰 군함에서 불법 인양한 물건들을 실은 중국 화물선을 억류

[위종민]

말레이시아 해양경비대가 말레이 해전에서 침몰한 HMS 프린스 오브 웨일즈와 HMS 리펄스에서 불법 인양한 불발탄, 또는 포탄을 실은 것으로 의심되는 중국 화물선을 억류했다고 합니다. 지난 5월 25일 USNI에서 중국의 크레인선박인 추안홍 68이 올해 초부터 해역에 머무르며 인양 작업을 실시해왔었다고 보도한 적이 있었죠. 이 선박은 이미 인도네시아에서 2차대전 당시 자바 해전에서 침몰한 네덜란드 해군 함정 HNLMS 드루이터와 HNLMS 자바, HNLMS 코르티니어함을 불법인양한 혐의로 수배돼 있다고 합니다. 

이 두 선박의 침몰 해역은 말레이시아의 EEZ 안입니다. 

https://news.usni.org/2023/05/30/authorities-detain-chinese-ship-suspected-of-salvaging-u-k-wwii-wrecks

Authorities Detain Chinese Ship Suspected of Salvaging U.K. WWII Wrecks - USNI News

Authorities Detain Chinese Ship Suspected of Salvaging U.K. WWII Wrecks

By: John Grady

May 30, 2023 6:15 PM

Photo of a Chinese salvage ship suspected of raiding U.K. Royal Navy WWII wrecks. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Photo

The Malaysian coast guard detained a Chinese bulk cargo ship carrying unexploded shells that may have been looted from United Kingdom Royal Navy World War II wrecks HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which were both sunk by torpedoes days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency is questioning the 32 member crew about the ship’s recent activities in its waters. Investigators from several Malay law enforcement agencies and the Malay Heritage Department are searching the ship for suspicious cargo that could be connected to the illegal scavenging of other World War II wreckage sites or taken from unexploded ordnance caches discovered in a recent raid on a Johor scrapyard.

USNI News reported last week that international attention has been focused on Chinese dredging and salvage operations by Chuan Hong 68 as the ship tries to retrieve specialized steel, aluminum and brass fittings used in the warships’ building.

The illegal salvage operation in Malaysia showed how vulnerable historic heritage sites are to thieves intent on plundering war graves, the director general of the Museum of the Royal Navy said in a statement.

The Royal Navy termed the dredging of the historic wreckage site “disgraceful.” Eight-hundred forty crew members lost their lives in the attack carried out by Japanese bombers.

In response to questions from USNI News, the Naval Historical and Heritage Command noted the importance of the sites as war graves.

The sites also “can carry significant cultural importance and be associated with some of the most formative moments in the course of a nation’s or global history. For all these reasons and more, sunken military craft should be respected and allowed to rest undisturbed,” the command said in its answers.

The statement added that when the U.S. wreckage site is out of American territorial waters, the Navy “works closely with the Department of State and host countries to ensure the preservation of sunken military craft abroad, which may also represent protected cultural heritage resources of those nations in whose waters they have come to rest.”

Illegal salvage earlier this year over the suspected site. Photo via New Straits Times

In addition, sunken military ships also may contain hazardous substances like oil and unexploded ordnance, making salvaging or dredging extremely dangerous.

U.S. law protecting the sites include the Sunken Military Craft Act and Navy regulations implementing that implement the legislation. Violations can lead to $100,000 per day fines, confiscation of the vessel and liability for damages, NHHC added.

A patrol boat conducting normal operations detained the Chinese vessel, registered in Fuzhou, China, on Sunday afternoon for anchoring without permission about 20 miles off Tanjung Siang, the Malay maritime agency posted on its Facebook page.

The Straits Times in Kuala Lumpur and Agence France-Presse reported that the agency had seized the shells, corroded metal, and gas torches to cut it from the wreck. The Malays were also inspecting a crane aboard the Chinese vessel.

USNI News reported five years ago that the U.K. Ministry of Defense was so concerned over the illegal dredging of wreckage sites, scavenging and looting that it dispatched a task force of survey vessels to the region to investigate the wrecks’ status. The ministry said then it would also monitor the water by satellite to keep track of activity near the sites.

Indonesian authorities have placed charges against Chuan Hong 68 for illegal scavenging in its Exclusive Economic Zone.

Malaysian authorities detained the ship briefly, but the vessel and crew escaped. The ship’s present whereabouts are unknown.

Meanwhile, on Thursday NHHC confirmed the identity of a wreck site 90 miles off Okinawa as USS Mannert L. Abele (DD-733). It’s one of 3,000 shipwrecks and 15,000 aircraft wrecks the U.S. Navy is responsible for globally.

The Sumner-class destroyer was on radar picket duty when it became the first warship to be sunk by an Okha, a Japanese suicide rocket bomb, on April 12, 1945. The human-guided weapon was capable of speeds of up to 600 miles per hour.

The command’s Underwater Archaeology Branch used information provided by Tim Taylor’s “Lost 52 Project” to confirm‎ the identity. Taylor is the chief executive officer of Tiburon Survivor. The project takes its name from lost American submarines in World War II.

Taylor’s father was serving on a nearby sister ship when Mannert L. Abele was struck and sank in a manner of minutes.

https://news.usni.org/2023/05/25/u-k-royal-navy-distressed-and-concerned-by-illegal-chinese-salvage-of-wwii-wrecks

U.K. Royal Navy ‘Distressed and Concerned’ by Illegal Chinese Salvage of WWII Wrecks

By: John Grady

May 25, 2023 1:18 PM

Illegal salvage earlier this year over the suspected site. Photo via New Straits Times

An illegal Chinese salvage operation is raiding two United Kingdom World War II warship wrecks off the coast of Malaysia for scrap steel, aluminum and brass fittings, prompting a statement of concern from the Royal Navy, USNI News has learned.

Chuan Hong 68 used a large dredging crane to pluck scrap from the wrecks of battleship HMS Prince of Wales (52) and battlecruiser HMS Repulse, according to local press reports. Both were sunk on on Dec. 10, 1941, days after Pearl Harbor, by Japanese bombers, resulting in the loss of 840 sailors.

Professional diver Hazz Zain flagged the illicit commercial operation local authorities after local fisherman spotted the dredger over the wreck sites, reported the New Straits Times this week.

The illegal salvage has thrown a sharp spotlight on how vulnerable historic heritage sites are to thieves intent on plundering war graves, the director general of the Museum of the Royal Navy said in a Tuesday statement.

“What we need is a management strategy for the underwater naval heritage so that we can better protect or commemorate these ships. That may include targeted retrieval‎ of objects,” Dominic Tweddle said.
“If resourced correctly, the existing Royal Navy loss list can be enhanced to be a vital tool to begin to understand, research and manage over 5,000 wrecks before they are lost forever.”

A retouched Japanese photograph of HMS PRINCE OF WALES (upper) and REPULSE (lower) after being hit by Japanese torpedoes on Dec. 10, 1941.

The wreckage site is in the extended economic zone of Malaysia. Authorities there told news organizations they are investigating the reported looting of the two ships and the discovery of material in a beachside scrap yard that could have been from them.

The battleship is resting upside down in 223 feet of water near Kuantan in the South China Sea. The wreckage of the battlecruiser is several miles away.

News reports from the U.K. and Australia say salvage vessel Chuan Hong 68 was dredging with a deep-reach crane for the “high-quality steel” used to build the two warships. The steel could be smelted for other uses. The value comes from the steel’s production before the use of nuclear weapons and testing and is important for use in manufacturing some scientific and medical equipment.

The salvage vessel has been operating in the region since early this year, new agencies reported.

British news organization have often reported about previous illegal dredging of this site and others for steel, copper and specially manufactured propellers. For example, The Guardian reported six years ago that at least 40 vessels have been destroyed in these operations.

In addition to the British warships, the same waters off Indonesia and Singapore contain wreckage sites of 40 Australian, Dutch and Japanese warships and merchantmen that have already been destroyed.

Sailors of HMS Prince of Wales abandoning ship to the destroyer HMS Express. Imperial War Museum Photo

New Straits Times reported that Chuan Hong 68  “is also wanted by Indonesian authorities for plundering the remains of sunken Dutch warships HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS Java and HNLMS Kortenaer in the Java Sea.”

The U.S. Navy has also expressed concern over its own wrecks in the Western Pacific. To the south, cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) and Australian warship HMAS Perth sank a few months after Prince of Wales and Repulse during the Battle of Sunda Strait on March 1, 1942. More than 650 U.S. sailors and Marines died when Houston sank, and more than 350 died when Perth sank.

The U.S. and Australia have worked with Indonesia to preserve the sites as war graves, USNI News has reported.

Five years ago, the U.K. Ministry of Defense was so concerned over the illegal dredging of wreckage sites, scavenging and looting that it dispatched a task force of survey vessels to the region to investigate the wrecks’ status. The ministry said then it would also monitor the water by satellite to keep track of activity near the sites.

“We are upset at the loss of naval heritage and the impact this has on the understanding of our Royal Navy history,” Twiddle said.

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무덤 도굴꾼이네요. 못된 짓하는...

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몇 달 전부터 작업한 것 같은데 영국이 나서니까 그제야 말레이가 액션을 취한 것 같습니다 ㅜㅜ