SINGAPORE - Two shipwrecks - one dating possibly to the 14th century and the other to the 18th - have been excavated within Singapore's waters - a first for the nation and a groundbreaking development for its maritime heritage. Both wrecks, bearing Chinese ceramics as their primary cargo, were found in the waters off Pedra Branca, a rocky outcrop surrounded by shallow waters where ships throughout history have come to grief. The plan is to display the artefacts in museums here from the end of this year. Maritime archaeologist Michael Flecker, who supervised both excavations, described the first wreck as a "pretty remarkable" find, as it is contemporary with the Temasek period that spans the 1300s to 1600s. In 2015, commercial divers carrying out salvage works for another project stumbled upon several ceramic plates, which they handed over to the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute because of their uncanny resemblance to artefacts they had seen in the news. The institute dated the plates to the 14th century, which kick-started an excavation project, beginning with an initial survey in 2016, that is now into its sixth year. The wreck was located about 100m north-west of the island, the Nat...