Okinawa Prefecture's University of the Ryukyus has announced that large parts of a Mongolian ship presumed to have been part of a 13th century Yuan Dynasty-era invasion fleet has been discovered on the seafloor near Nagasaki.  The find is the first intact wreck related to invasion attempts of Japan by the Mongolian ruler, Kublai Khan.

The archaeology team, headed by Yoshifumi Ikeda, found the near complete hull structure about 1-meter under the seabed, and about 20-25 meters beneath the ocean’s surface off the Takashima Island in Matsuura Nagasaki.  The discovery is so monumental because much of the hull has remained intact, including a 12-meter section of the keels with rows of planks attached to the keel, Ikeda reported.  The vessel appears to be well preserved due to the cover of sand.

The team believes that the vessel wreckage will provide vital insights into the Khan-led Mongol attacks between 1274 and 1281, which had been mostly based on information gathered from drawings and documents, and not real artifacts....