James Shoal
underwater shoal in the South China Sea
James Shoal is a shoal (submerged bank) in the South China Sea, with a depth of 22 metres (72 ft) below the surface of the sea, located about 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) off the Borneo coast of Malaysia. It is claimed by Malaysia, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan). The shoal and its surrounds are administered by Malaysia.
Name
The name James Shoal first appeared in British documents as early as 1892, and is possibly named after James Brooke (1803–1868), the first White Rajah of the Kingdom of Sarawak.
Malaysia refers to James Shoal as Beting Serupai ('Serupai Shoal'), with Serupai being a place name in Tatau District, Bintulu Division, Sarawak.
Both the People's Republic of China (Mainland China) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) refer to James Shoal as Zengmu Reef / Zengmu Shoal / Zengmu Ansha/ Tseng-mu An-sha (Chinese: 曾母暗沙; pinyin: Zēngmǔ Ànshā; lit. 'James hidden-sand / James shoal').
History
The name James Shoal first appeared in The London Gazette on November 15, 1892, as well as in the same year's British seafaring magazine The Nautical Magazine and Journal of the Royal Naval Reserve. The article reported findings from a survey conducted by Commander A. M. Field of the British naval survey ship HMS Egeria, confirming the existence of a shoal lying off the northwestern coast of Borneo. The shoal has a depth of 12 fathoms (22 m), with surrounding waters ranging from 22–31 fathoms (40–57 m), and is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Acis Shoals, at latitude 4°0' N, longitude 112°18' E. The origin of the name James Shoal is probably derived from James Brooke (1803–1868), the first White Rajah of the Kingdom of Sarawak.
“James Shoal” enters the record as underwater shoal in the South China Sea. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what James, Shoal and underwater can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“James Shoal” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, James, Shoal and underwater provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 24, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q707510. Authority coordinates are 3.974, 112.349. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1892, 1803 and 1868.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “James Shoal”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow James Shoal primary sources, James Shoal archive and James research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “James Shoal” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.