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Grave Robbers Caught Plundering The Wreck of the HMS Prince of Wales
Looking for high value salvage
On May 28th, 2023, Malaysian authorities detained a Chinese flagged grab dredging ship operating off the coast of Johor, according to a report by AlJazeera. The ship was detained for anchoring without a permit as the ship was operating within Malaysian waters. However, many people suspect that the ship was illegally plundering the wreck of the British warship, the HMS Prince of Wales, which was sunk during an early engagement with the Japanese during World War II.
The salvage team was allegedly attempting to bring up valuable steel, aluminum, and marine-grade brass fittings from the wreck. The discovery of a hundred World War II-era artillery shells on the deck of the dredger seems to confirm the suspicions.
The ship in question, Chuan Hong 68, is a grab dredger capable of reaching the depths that the Prince of Wales is sitting. The ship’s home port is listed as Fuzhou, China, which is located roughly 400 miles northeast of Hong Kong along China’s southern coastline.
