Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou (飛輪架海舟, lit. ''Flying wheel sea-rack ship'')
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| Drawing of a Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou, from 'Bing Jing (《兵鏡》)'. |
Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou is a warship of unusual design, possibly a Ming-era throwback to older paddle wheel warships from the previous dynasties (as hinted by its tower ship-style crenellated superstructure). Intended as a capital-class warship despite its moderate size, Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou is made of expensive and durable
nanmu wood and comes with two masts, four inboard paddle wheels and twelve large oars. In addition, it also has two large slots at the bow and stern, which allow two ships to be connected together via wooden beams into a
catamaran-like configuration for increased stability.
Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan (套船子母輪舟船, lit. 'Ship-sheathing mother and child wheeled ship')
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| Drawing of a Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan, from 'Bing Jing (《兵鏡》)'. |
Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan is actually not a different ship design, but a detachable exterior shell/auxiliary armour equipped by Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou. Made of
Chinese fir, the exterior shell encloses the warship from the front and flanks, and comes with a bow fitted with barbed spikes and storage space filled with gunpowder and flammable materials. Beside protecting the warship from grounding hazards, the exterior shell is also a potent weapon in its own right, allowing the warship to ram into enemy ship, ignite the payload, then discard the shell to disengage.
Wouldn't the four paddle wheels be outboard rather than inboard? As in the paddle hanging beyond the rail and limit of the ships hull. Or are you referring to their propulsion by means on an inboard paddle of thread wheel?
ReplyDeleteAnother top-down drawing of a similar ship (likely the same ship, just called a different name) shows that the paddles are actually embedded in the hull. It'd be difficult to fit a second shell to the hull if there are paddle wheels getting in the way.
DeleteThanks for the clarification!
DeleteCould you direct me to this image? I am curious to see what it looks like.
why are illustrations in chinese treatises so lame?
ReplyDeleteThey were publishing the treatises for military men, not manga connoisseurs. Plus there was a limit on how much detail that can be put on woodblock printing.
DeleteHello, I was wondering if you knew about the ships seen in the Wako Zukan scroll, especially the larger ones on the right. What would be their names?
ReplyDeleteIsn't that some kind of Japanese ship?
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