Tek Sing: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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==Sinking==

Sailing from the port of Amoy (now [[Xiamen]] in [[Fujian]], [[China]]), in 1822, the ''Tek Sing'' was bound for [[History of Jakarta|Batavia]], [[Dutch East Indies]] (now [[Jakarta]], [[Indonesia]]) laden with a large cargo of [[porcelain]] goods and 1,600 Chinese [[immigrant]]s. After a month of sailing, the ''Tek Sing''{{'}}s captain, Io Tauko, decided to attempt a shortcut through the [[Gaspar Strait]] between the [[Bangka-Belitung Islands]], and ran aground on a reef. The junk sank in about {{convert|30|m|feet|-1}} of water.

The next morning, February 7, the English [[East Indiaman]] {{ship||Indiana|1822 ship|2}}, captained by James Pearl and sailing from Indonesia to [[Borneo]], passed through the Gaspar Strait. The ship encountered debris from the sunk Chinese vessel and an enormous number of survivors. The English ship managed to rescue about 190 of the survivors. Another 18 persons were saved by a ''wangkang'', a small Chinese junk captained by Jalang Lima. This Chinese vessel may have been sailing in tandem with the ''Tek Sing'', but had avoided the reefs.