21 November 2018

Shui Di Long Wang Pao (水底龍王砲) and Hun Jiang Long (混江龍)

Shui Di Long Wang Pao (水底龍王砲, lit. 'Underwater dragon king bomb')

Ming China naval mine
Drawing of Shui Di Long Wang Pao, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.
Shui Di Long Wang Pao is a drifting naval mine used by the Ming army. Designed for riverine warfare, the mine is usually deployed upriver under the cover of the night, so that it can naturally drift downstream towards moored enemy ships. 

Shui Di Long Wang Pao consists of several components: a four to six catties wrought iron bomb placed inside a lacquered (waterproofed) cow bladder, which is fixed on top of a wooden plank or miniature raft. Several stone weights are tied to the underside of the plank, serving as its ballast. The stones are heavy enough to let the entire mine stays submerged, but not too heavy as to cause it to simply sink to the bottom of the river. An incense fuse inside a waterproofed tube made of goat intestine is connected to the bomb at one end, and connected to a small wooden plank attached with goose feathers at the other end. This is to ensure that the incense stays afloat and dry, as well as having enough air to stay lit.

Despite these waterproofing features, Shui Di Long Wang Pao is still somewhat unreliable. Both the bomb and its fuse are susceptible to underwater debris and unpredictable river currents/waves, not to mention the incense sometimes goes out due to insufficient oxygen.

Hun Jiang Long (混江龍, lit. 'River-muddling dragon')

World's first naval mine
Schematic of Hun Jiang Long, from 'Tian Gong Kai Wu (《天工開物》)'. 
Hun Jiang Long is the anchored version of Shui Di Long Wang Pao. First recorded by Song Ying Xing (宋應星) in his phenomenal encyclopedia Tian Gong Kai Wu (《天工開物》) in 1637,  this weapon probably saw service for quite some time even before that, as weapons based on identical principle and application were already in use as early as 1549.

Hun Jiang Long differs from its drifting counterpart in that it packs a friction-wheel mechanism similar to Gang Lun Fa Huo (鋼輪發火) together with the bomb into the cow bladder. It also does away with the fuse, replacing it with a cord connected to the trigger mechanism. The cord extends to the river bank and is manually pulled by an operator.

No comments:

Post a Comment

< > Home

Random Quotes & Trivia

GREAT MING MILITARY © , All Rights Reserved. BLOG DESIGN BY Sadaf F K.