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

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.”

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.

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.

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

Disgusting

Not the first time for the Chuan Hong 68 - six years ago:

Chinese vessel suspected of destroying Sabah WW2 shipwrecks finally caught
May 10, 2017

KOTA KINABALU: A Chinese-registered vessel, suspected to be responsible for destroying three World War 2 Japanese shipwrecks in Usukan, is currently being detained by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

It was reported that the Chuan Hong 68 dredging ship had illegally anchored in Johor waters after it fled from the Indonesian authority.

Johor Tanjung Sedili seventh maritime district director Captain Amran Dau, when contacted confirmed that the ship and its seven crew members were under their custody.

Indonesia Captures Maritime Grave Robbers
MAY 9, 2017



Somebody has been stealing warships from Southeast Asian waters – more specifically, sunken warships, which are prized for their scrap metal value. Indonesian authorities now believe that they have caught one of the perpetrators: they allege that the 8,000 gt Chinese grab dredger Chuan Hong 68 was responsible for illegally scavenging the wrecks of the pre-WWII Japanese destroyer Sagiri, plus the passenger vessels Hiyoshi Maru and Katori Maru, the steamship Igara and the tanker Seven Skies.

It is the second time that maritime authorities have caught the Chuan Hong 68 in as many months. On April 20, the Indonesian Navy detained her in the waters off Natuna in the Riau Islands on the suspicion that she was engaged in illegal dredging. She escaped on April 22 and fled to Malaysia, where she was detained once again by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

PRC Chinese are bacteria. They have no scruples, no ethics, no conscience, only the desire to make money and eat wild animals.
Commie fuckers, slant eyed, rice gobbling, yellow bellied little shits.

Chuan Hong 68 needs to be sunk. End it’s part in theft.

Aren't these scrap merchants actually providing a free service in clearing the seas of trash. Okay the trash is seen as war graves but in fact the remnants of any bodies have all but decayed by now?

Time to sink a few Chinese boats... Blame the Thai submarines.

Originally Posted by misskit

Chuan Hong 68 needs to be sunk. End it’s part in theft.

would be a good message to the chinks, some sub target practice

Surely they are being environmentally friendly. Recycle, reuse, repair, repurpose, reclaim. Some seem to prefer rot, rant, rage.

War grave, innit.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

War grave, innit.

I agree but there's thousands dotted about the worlds oceans and most are an hindrance to other sea goers. Ie fishermen who constantly get there nets tangled up in them causing loss of earnings. About time countries stepped back and eased the laws on sea war graves.

Disgusting fucking parasites.

Originally Posted by misskit

Chuan Hong 68 needs to be sunk. End it’s part in theft.

That's what I was wondering. Simple solution.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

fishermen who constantly get there nets tangled up in them causing loss of earnings

fuk the fishermen, they bottom trawl too much. Wrecks are great fish nurseries too.

There doesn't seem to be an international law for maritime war graves. I think there should be.

^ they would just ignore it anyway but agreed, there should be and cannot believe there is not.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

I agree but there's thousands dotted about the worlds oceans and most are an hindrance to other sea goers. Ie fishermen who constantly get there nets tangled up in them causing loss of earnings. About time countries stepped back and eased the laws on sea war graves.

Prag, which bit of the fucking planet is two thirds water did you not grasp.

Sunken wrecks are as irrelevant as a fart in a hurricane.

Up your game.I know your mental faculties are somewhat dimmed by the rural dystopia in which you have chosen to cloister yourself but you can still make the effort.

^ Yeah and whilst you're at it Pragmatic try some predictions on for size like our esteemed desk jockey

The Tudor Rose was classified as a War Grave but they pulled her up and stuck her on show. Didn't see anyone complaining about the 179 skeletal remains they disturbed? But there again it wasn't the Chinese that carried out the evil act.

Originally Posted by prawnograph

it fled from the Indonesian authority.

That wreck can't 'flee' from anything.


And yes, just sink the thing

It seems there is a supposed to be a market for this low background steel in things like Geiger counters, but since background radiation isn't really a thing these days, it's more likely the chinky scum were just pillaging scrap.

It seems there are a fair few unexploded munitions turning up in Malaysian scrapyards too, which shows how fucking thick these chinky parasites are.

Pictures and a video released by the agency showed a barge carrier with a large crane and heaps of rusty metal on board. Known as pre-war steel, the material from the two warships is valuable and could be smelted for use in manufacturing of some scientific and medical equipment.

Chinese barge suspected of looting WWII British warship wrecks detained by Malaysia

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

background radiation isn't really a thing these days,

Thanks for the morning laugh.

Originally Posted by Stretchy

Thanks for the morning laugh.

World anthropogenic background radiation levels peaked at 0.11 mSv/yr above natural levels in 1963, the year that the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was enacted. Since then, anthropogenic background radiation has decreased to 0.005 mSv/yr above natural levels.