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His research prompted Britain's Defense Ministry to ask China for details. Chinese authorities confirmed the salvage operation but said poor record-keeping and the passage of time had left no additional information. Schwankert considers a number of possible motives, including recycling the steel hull or studying the submarine's construction. But he believes it most likely that China wanted to test salvage techniques at a time when its navy was preparing to launch a modern submarine fleet. Schwankert happened on the story of the Poseidon while researching the possibility of diving wrecks from the 1894-1895 Sino-Japanese War. "I feel absolutely, stupidly lucky for stumbling on it," he said. That 2005 discovery prompted him to contact longtime friend Arthur Jones, who was attracted as much by the subject matter as by Schwankert's enthusiasm, as witnessed on an early visit to Weihai. "The idea of a personal obsession -- that really drew me in," Jones said by phone from his home in Shanghai. Along with documenting Schwankert's quest for answers, the film uses footage from the 1930s. Poignant moments show descendants watching old newsreels of the events, including David Clarke seeing footage for the first time of his grandfather, survivor Reginald Clarke, receiving a medal. "You can really see how those events continue to have ramifications over people's lives," said Jones, who hopes to begin showing the documentary, "The Poseidon Project," at festivals later this year. The book and film come at a time when China is beginning to rediscover its naval history, as illustrated by the extensive publicity given to the ongoing excavation of the almost 2,000-year-old Nanhai One merchant vessel. "The discoveries in the next five years will be mind-blowing, something like the discovery of the terracotta warriors but at sea," Schwankert said. "The Real Poseidon Adventure: China's Secret Salvage of Britain's Lost Submarine" is due out in 2013 from Hong Kong University Press. ___ Online:
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