Xinhua Xinhua "Nuclear" ancient shipwreck salvage plan

　　Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Liping

　　The Big Mac "crawler" will salvage the underwater archaeological site with an estimated weight of more than 8,000 tons without any contact with the underwater cultural relics. Back to "new home"..."The hardest core in history" "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient shipwreck salvage plan contributes Chinese wisdom to the world's underwater archaeology.

　　On the 2nd, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Shanghai Municipal Government jointly announced the official launch of the "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship archaeology and cultural relics protection project.

This is another milestone event in my country's underwater archaeology. It has made a major breakthrough in science and technology. my country has contributed Chinese technology, Chinese experience, and Chinese solutions to the world's underwater archaeology.

　　Let’s first get to know this underwater archaeological technical support “Heaven Group” – they are composed of the Shanghai Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, Shanghai Tunnel Co., Ltd., Shanghai Electric and other enterprises. All of them are “top experts in high-end manufacturing and engineering support in China” ".

In the process of discussing and formulating underwater cultural relics salvage plans, they are determined to seek new ideas, constantly surpass themselves, and let "research on scientific research" and "underwater archaeology" go hand in hand, demonstrating the hard-core strength and innovative spirit of "big country heavy industry".

　　Let's listen to the experts explain this innovative plan to Xinhua News Agency reporters in detail:

　　——Use the technology of repairing subway tunnels to salvage ancient sunken ships

　　22 specially manufactured curved beams, the top is a powerful tunnel shield excavation device, and the tail is equipped with a tunnel shield propulsion device with huge thrust - this is not to repair the subway, but to salvage ancient ships.

This "artifact" can quickly excavate from the bottom of ancient shipwrecks and penetrate the thick sediment and even rock debris on the bottom of the Yangtze River Estuary.

According to reports, there are only a few lathes that can manufacture such huge engineering equipment nationwide.

　　Why design such complex underwater archaeological salvage equipment?

Zhou Dongrong, deputy director of the Shanghai Salvage Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, said that if conventional underwater wreck salvage techniques are used, divers must drill under the ancient ship "Changjiangkou No.

This method is prone to landslides, posing a threat to the life safety of divers and the safety of the ancient ship's structure.

　　In addition, the water quality of the Yangtze Estuary is also very special.

Even if the diver completes the underwater drilling, the sediment will be quickly backfilled in a short period of time, making underwater salvage an impossible task.

Under the pressure of such special conditions, the Shanghai Salvage Bureau tailored a salvage plan with high technology content and the greatest degree of protection of cultural relics for the ancient ship "Yangtze River Mouth No. 2".

　　"It is the first time in the world's underwater archaeology to use the technology of building tunnels to salvage sunken ships. Relying on my country's high-end manufacturing capabilities, such a high-tech solution can maximize the protection of the originality and nature of underwater cultural heritage. Integrity, guarantee the safety of cultural relics.” said Chu Xiaobo, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics.

　　--one two three four!

Four steps to salvage the ancient ship "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2"

　　According to reports, the overall salvage process of the "Yangtze River Mouth No. 2" ancient ship will be divided into four steps.

In this process, the salvage equipment does not touch the underwater cultural relics at all, and can also salvage the archaeological sites with rich information around the ancient ship.

　　In the first step, the salvage personnel hoisted the end plate and roof beam assembly from the salvage boat into the water of the Yangtze River Estuary, and sank it into the mud at the preset position;

　　In the second step, the salvage ship will install the jacking launcher on the end plate and top beam assembly, drive 22 huge arc beams to rotate from underwater to the mud, pass through the bottom of the ancient ship "Yangtze River Mouth No. 2", and put the hull " Even mud and water" are all wrapped up;

　　In the third step, the 22 arc beams will be connected with the top beams on the mud surface one by one, and all of them will be fastened.

At this time, the ancient ship "Yangtze River Mouth No. 2" will be wrapped by this "steel frame and iron skeleton" composed of curved beams and top beams;

　　The fourth step, the overall lifting!

After a comprehensive inspection of the overall sealing performance of the device, the salvage personnel lifted the ancient ship "Yangtze River Mouth No. 2" as a whole.

　　——The salvage process is like "catching a baby"

　　For this innovative plan to salvage the "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship, some experts have made a vivid metaphor - "catching the baby".

　　22 giant curved beams were first installed above the ancient ship, then flipped to the bottom of the ancient ship, passed through the thick sediment and even rocks, and "grabbed all the underwater archaeological sites estimated to weigh more than 8,000 tons" into their arms. ".

　　——The error of the giant arc beam is only in the millimeter level

　　What is amazing is that although each of these 22 giant-level curved beams weighs nearly 100 tons, their precision is extremely high. At that time, under the water of the Yangtze River Estuary, the 22 curved beams will pass through the lock.” "Fit together", the underwater archaeological site will be "held and grasped" out of the water.

　　According to reports, due to the high manufacturing precision of the curved beam, the error is in the millimeter level. It is expected that after the curved beam is closed under the mud, not only can the ancient ship "Yangtze River Mouth No. 2" be "safe", but also "connected with the mud belt". No water leaks."

　　——The tailor-made "Mama Kangaroo" ship "embraces" the ancient ship and returns to the "new home"

　　The Shanghai Salvage Bureau has also developed a salvage engineering ship with an opening in the middle for transporting the ancient ship "Changjiangkou No. 2".

Chu Xiaobo, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, likened the tailor-made construction ship to a "mother kangaroo".

　　According to the salvage plan, after the ancient ship "Yangtze River Mouth No. 2" is salvaged from the water, it will be quickly lifted to the open middle of the engineering ship.

Chu Xiaobo jokingly said that using this special "mother ship" to transport the ancient ship "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" is like "mother kangaroo carefully carrying the baby kangaroo in her pocket".

　　According to the plan, before the end of this year, the "Mama Kangaroo" engineering ship will slowly sail to Dock No. 1 of the former site of Shanghai Shipyard in Yangpu Binjiang, Shanghai.

Coincidentally, both the ancient ship and the dock were built during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.

　　In the future, the Yangpu Binjiang No. 1 Dockyard, a historical building, will be transformed into a shipwreck archaeological base and an ancient ship museum, where archaeologists will gradually uncover many unsolved mysteries of the "Yangtze River Estuary No. 2" ancient ship.