Salvage firm more likely looking for gold with UMS help

Published on: Saturday, February 04, 2017

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By David Lee
I WAS surprised by your front page news “Salvage on Stopped” , that a government department had given approval to a university agency (UMS) to salvage some 3,000 tonnes of toxic material from sunken Japanese ship.

This brings to my mind of several Japanese ships that were crippled by Allied bombing in the Kudat Harbour.

You could see these ships during low tide. Several years later these ships disappeared without a trace.

Rumours had it that these Japanese ships contained valuable mineral resources like gold, tin ingots and rubber taken from Indonesia bound for Japan. Since the Allied Navy forces were said to have blocked the sea lanes to Japan, these cargo ships anchored off Kudat and Sandakan and were subsequently bombed.

Later some salvage companies which probably knew about the treasures quietly salvaged the ships with or without the knowledge of the then British Government.

There were other rumors that the gold that the Japanese had confiscated from the locals were put in coffins and buried in some islands just before the Japanese surrendered.

I have also heard from the natives that the sunken Japanese ship in Usukan Bay was full of treasures.

Some daring natives must have dived into the ship and found something of value. I was given a small sample for identification.

Whatever properties or treasures left on State land and in the seas belongs to the State.

The State Government should take measures to map all remaining sunken ships and try to determine what treasures, valuables or harmful chemicals remain in them. It should take steps to prevent any private organisation salvage or attempt to salvage any material without approval.

If indeed the ship at Usukan Bay contained 3,000 tonnes of toxic material the State government should first determine exactly what that material was instead of allowing a private agency to salvage it blindly.

People without any experience in handling toxic materials could cause the material to leak and pollute the whole bay and surrounding seas.

David Lee