Archaeological Exploration: Two relics discovered in China's first deep sea archaeological mission

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Two underwater relics left by ancient ships have been DISCOVERED this week. This was during China's first deep sea archaeological mission in the South China Sea. The mission was carried out by a group of Chinese archaeologists aboard the oceanic research vessel Tansuo-1.

Two jars have been discovered during this week's dives in waters off Beijiao of the Xisha Islands.

The first item was found on Monday, followed by another on Tuesday. They were both lying on the seabed, 400-meters beneath the waves.

The mission was carried out by a manned submersible, "Shenhai Yongshi" or "Deep Sea Warrior".

The craft and crew departed from Sanya in south China last Wednesday.

The team planned to complete six dives, varying in depth from 50 to 200 meters and lasting from six to eight hours each.

But the third dive has already gone as deep as 1,000 meters.

SUN JIAN, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR NATIONAL CENTER OF UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE " It was hard to discover the relics due to the big waves. We didn't expect to find the two jars on a 400-meter deep seabed. We thought they should be lying in a valley somewhere deeper."

The "Deep Sea Warrior" is designed to reach a maximum depth of 4,500 meters.

In October 2017, the manned submersible completed its first deep sea testing mission off the shores of Sanya.

The mission aims to help provide better protection for underwater cultural relics, according to the National Center of Underwater Cultural Heritage.

The archaeological team will complete their work on April 27th.