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Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou (飛輪架海舟) and Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan (套船子母輪舟船)
🕑 Added 2023-05-18 13:01:02 +0000 UTCFei Lun Jia Hai Zhou (飛輪架海舟, lit. 'Flying wheel sea-rack ship')
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')
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 both sides, 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.
Comments
GreatMingMilitary
Records of the ship comes from very late Ming period treatises, although I have reason to suspect the ship was from (or made for) an earlier times seeing that it seems to lack many features of late Ming/early Qing cannon-centric warships. Unfortunately the sources are light on technical details so there's no info about ship or crew size, armament, or sailing distance etc. The paddles are foot-operated. The outer shell is attached to the primary hull by what appears to be several hook-and-eye-latch type fastening.
Angus MacDonald
This is a fascinating ship design on many levels. Questions flew to mind: what dates were these in service? Do we know how many were made? Do we have any records as to their size and crew size? For example, how were the paddles turned and if by hand, how many crew? My understanding is that gun ports weren't introduced to the Great Ming until the Dutch brought them in the 17th century. What are the round ports used for, then? Cannon, archery and rocketry? Do we know how far a Fei Lun Jia Hai Zhou would sail with a Tao Chuan Zi Mu Lun Zhou Chuan? Did it hinder the ship's operation very much (so not very long), or did it fit like a second skin (so maybe for a longer voyage)?
