Archeologists in northeast China have begun an underwater investigation in the Yellow Sea to learn more about a war ship sunken by the Japanese navy during the first Sino-Japanese War 121 years ago.

The investigation was launched on Saturday in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, where the warship was found during an underwater exploration for port construction last year.

Coded "Dandong No. 1," the still intact 50-meter hull is located 10 nautical miles southwest of Dandong Port. The inside of the ship has been badly damaged.

Archeologists have concluded the 1,600-tonne vessel is one of the four warships with the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912 A.D.) imperial marine forces Beiyang Fleet, which was defeated by the Japanese navy in the Battle of Yellow Sea on Sept. 17, 1894.

The four ships were China's most modern vessels. They were bigger and better armed than the Japanese fleet, but were slower and lacked ammunition.

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