Between 1976 and 1984 an underwater archaeological excavation was carried out at Shinan on the southwest coast of Korea. Thousands of objects were recovered and the ship which carried them salvaged. Identified as a Chinese vessel of the 14th century, the ship was constructed of timber of Chinese red pine and Chinese fir which had been severely attacked by marine organisms. Extent of attack depended on the species and wood type (i.e. sapwood, heartwood). Because of this differential degradation, it was decided to use PEG 400 for slightly degraded timbers and PEG 4000 for the heavily degraded parts. It is hoped that the Shinan ship will be reconstructed at a new maritime museum to be opened in 1991. -- AATA