In 1912, when the RMS Titanic was the newest ship in the world, the Ning Po ("Peaceful Waters") was the oldest still-functioning ship on the seas. Built in 1753 and originally called the Kin Tai Foong ("Golden Typhoon"), this Chinese merchant Junk quickly turned pirate and smuggler, become one of the most notorious pirate ships of Asia. She was the bane of both Imperial China and the British Empire, eluding all who wished to tame her. By the early 1900's, finally being matched by the iron steam ships of the time, she was retired as a tourist attraction, touring the Los Angeles area for a few years before becoming a restaurant in Avalon on Catalina Island. She then served as a museum ship in Cat Harbor at the Isthmus on Catalina, where she eventually wrecked in a storm in the 1930's.

Much of her early history is based on legend rather than hard evidence, and much of her later history is convoluted with other ships she sat alongside, but let's dive into her what we do know and uncover what's left of her off Catalina Island. While this video does talk a bit about what's left, stay tuned for another video in the future about surveying the various wrecks across Catalina Island, including the Ning Po.

Special thanks to the Catalina Island Museum for the help with research and allowing me to use some of their photographs.

Another huge thanks to CA Wreck Divers and Steve Lawson for some of the photos