I donated six 3D models of Coron to the nation of the Philippines. They will be integrated into the permanent collection. The scale is 1:144.
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On 2 February 2026, six (6) scale models of shipwrecks in Coron, Palawan, were handed over by Engr. Holger Buร to the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) as gifts to the nation. These models were produced through hundreds of hours of diving, photogrammetry documentation and modelling, 3D printing, and hand painting.
These models depict the shipwrecks of six Japanese Navy vesselsโ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ช, ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ค, ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ช, ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ช๐จ๐๐๐ข๐, ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ช, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ฎ๐ค ๐๐๐ง๐ชโas they appear in late 2025. These ships were fleeing American air raids in Manila Bay and seeking shelter in Coron, Palawan, when they were struck by US Navy planes in 1944.
As models, the initial impression highlights the craftsmanship put into them. Beyond this, however, their significance lies in documenting a specific point in the inevitably transitory existence of shipwrecks. Given the challenging environments that some of them are in and the resources that they demand, documentation activities like these are not easy to come by, much less in a tangible form.
Furthermore, they are also useful in planning and executing heritage conservation and management work on these sites. As our underwater cultural heritage (UCH) is generally unnoticed and often inaccessible to the wider public, these donations are significant contributions to NMPโs mission to promote accessibility, raise awareness, and foster appreciation of our heritage among our people. Utilizing 3D models to talk about heritage protection not only makes them more appealing to younger generations but also shows how technology can be harnessed for conservation works.
The NMP extends its gratitude to Engr. Buร for these gifts to the nation and looks forward to further collaborations in the future.
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