Che Lun Ge (車輪舸)

Drawing of a Che Lun Ge, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

The Che Lun Ge (車輪舸) was a late Ming period paddle-wheel warship detailed in military treatise Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》). Measuring 4 zhang 2 chi (13.4 m) in overall length, with a beam of 1 zhang 3 chi (4.16 m), the ship was a small-to-medium assault craft featuring four paddle wheels mounted outside the main hull within protective side-frame paddleboxes, which provided remarkable speed, immediate acceleration, and sharp maneuverability unhindered by wind or tide.

Along its length, the hull was organized into three functional zones: an 8 chi (2.56 m) open foredeck ending in a flat bow, a 2 zhang 7 chi (8.64 m) central cabin entirely wrapped in raw ox hide for blast and fire protection, and a 7 chi (~2.24 m) aft section housing the stern helm tower.

The main fighting compartment of the Che Lun Ge was its central cabin, which housed both the combat crew and the sailors operating the paddle wheels. Constructed around a central ridge beam, the cabin featured flat wooden panels—each measuring 5 chi long (1.6 m) by 2 chi wide (64 cm) and clad in raw ox hide for blast and fire protection—hinged along their bottom axles like drop-shutter windows and rested against the beam to form a sloped roof. During initial engagement, the vessel remained completely enclosed, concealing the crew inside the central cabin as they unleashed devastating salvoes of gunpowder artillery, rockets, and incendiaries through small gun loops cut into the panels. Once the enemy was blinded by smoke and their defence faltered, the crew heaved the panels open—dropping them flat onto the outer gunwales to form extended fighting platforms—and deployed ox-hide-covered Pang Pai (旁牌) along the edges for cover, enabling them to hurl grenades, throw javelins, and hook enemy vessels with grappling tools to burn and sink them.