Wreck of 13th Century Mongol Ship Found Off Japan

A 36-foot section of a ship believed to have been part of Asia's version of the Spanish Armada was found recently off the Japanese coast, according to the BBC.

The BBC report noted the rarity of the well-preserved 13th Century artifact. It is associated with a Mongol invasion fleet that intended to invade Japan, but was blown to pieces in a typhoon. The episode is the source of the kamikaze legend that the Japanese military leveraged during the Second World War.

The illustration shows a Chinese ship from roughly eight centuries ago that resembles those vessels in the doomed invasion fleet.