· Japanese legend claims two 'divine winds', known as The Kamikaze, destroyed Mongol invasion fleets
· Hundreds of vessels were destroyed by two separate typhoons off the coast of Japan
· Defeat for Kublai Khan halted the expansion of the Mongol empire in the Far East
· 36ft section of keel discovered under seabed using ultrasound equipment
· 4,000 artefacts including cannonballs and stone anchors also found
Marine archaeologists say they have uncovered a wreck from one of Kublai Khan's 13th century Mongol invasion fleets just yards off the coast of Japan.
Scientists are hoping to be able to recreate a complete Yuan Dynasty vessel after the discovery of a 36ft-long section of keel just below the seabed off Nagasaki.
Japanese legend claims that two 'divine winds', known as The Kamikaze, destroyed both of Kublai Khan's vast invasion fleets with the loss of thousands of troops.
Watery grave: Marine archaeologists have found a 36ft-long section of keel from Kublai Khan's Mongol invasion fleet which sank off the coast of Japan in a typhoon in the 13th century
Historic: Kublai Khan launched to attempts to invade Japan from Korea, but both fleets were ravaged by typhoons known as 'The Kamikaze' - or 'divine wind'
Using ultrasound equipment, scientists found the well-preserved wreck 3ft below the seabed and it is the first from the period to have an intact hull.
Yoshifumi Ikea, a professor of archaeology at Okinawa's University of the Ryukyus, said the keel section could help remodel the 60ft warship.
He said: 'This discovery was of major importance for our research.
'We are planning to expand search efforts and find further information that can help us restore the whole ship.
'I believe we will be able to understand more about shipbuilding skills at the time as well as the actual situation of exchanges in East Asia.'
Artefacts: Cannonballs and stone anchors are among thousands of items found around the shipwreck off the coast near Nagasaki
Doomed: Thousands of Mongol, Korean and Chinese troops drowned or were slaughtered by Japanese samurai after the failed invasion attempts in 1274 and 1281
Empire: Scientists used ultrasound to find the shipwreck three feet below the sea bed, where it has remained remarkably well preserved
Empire: Scientists used ultrasound to find the shipwreck three feet below the sea bed, where it has remained remarkably well preserved
More than 4,000 artefacts, including ceramic shards, ballast bricks, cannonballs and stone anchors have been found around the wreck, CNN reported.
The hull will not be immediately salvaged, but the site will be covered with netting to prevent damage.
The Kamikaze - two powerful typhoons that struck seven years apart - halted the Mongol expansion in the Far East.
Historians say both attempts by the Yuan Dynasty to invade Japan ended in disaster.
Thwarted: Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty in 1271 after removing opposition in the south of China and the Mongol empire, in blue, spread from Europe to the China coast at its height
Invasion force: Both fleets contained tens of thousands of well-armed troops who had initial success against Japanese samurai, but the typhoons devastated them
Armada: 900 ships sailed to Japan in the first invasion, and two forces of 4,400 ships took part in the second failed invasion
A second typhoon then hit the Tsushima Straits, destroying around 80 per cent of the fleet and seeing thousands of Kublai Khan's troops drowned or slaughtered by samurai as they managed to make landfall.
Kublai Khan is widely believed to have rushed to assemble his enormous fleets in under a year - particularly in the second invasion - forcing shipbuilders to use river boats that were not suitable for the sea.
He is even thought to have vowed to carry out a third invasion before his death at the impressive age of 78.
Invasion route: Both fleets set off from Korea with thousands of troops on board for the 110-mile journey between Masan and the Japan coast
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