Zheng He's Massive Ship from Ming Dynasty

[mkmossop]

Has anyone ever seen this thing before? I just came across this on Reddit.

 

This is to scale apparently beside the Santa Maria... both sailed at the same time.

 

Does anyone know what the ship was called? I wonder if there's a kit out there and how much it cost.

 

[Keith_W]

I have my doubts as to the historical accuracy of that ship, to be honest. There is an upper limit in size for wooden ships - any larger than a certain size, and they lose structural integrity. I suspect that there is a good dose of historic embellishment going on there.

 

(edit) having said that, a ship that hugs coastal waters where the sea is relatively calm does not have to be as rigid as a ship that has to sail blue water.

Edited August 27, 2014 by KeithW

[pollex]

Chinese "Treasure Ship" 15th Century

     This is a fascinating picture of a model representing a huge "junk" or ocean-going vessel. This period of

Chinese maritime history has been studied by the British author Gavin Menzies. Gavin is a retired career

naval officer, having formerly been Captain of a Royal Navy submarine. Gavin has written several books

on the subject of Chinese ocean-going ships sailing all over the world, long before Columbus reached

the Caribbean.  Gavin and his research team contend that  Admiral Zheng He 's fleet of ships (several

squadrons each numbering several hundred), sailed around the continents of Africa & Australia, and sailed

up the West and East coasts of South and North America!

     Of particular interest to ship modellers is the fact that an 80' rudder made of wood about 600 years old

was found in China (can't remember the seaport) verifying that a 450' long junk could easily have been

made using teak and ferro-cement compartments.  A large replica has also been made.

     Regards, pollex (Calgary)

[Jim Lad]

Gavin Menzies book are not regarded as serious history by professional historians.

 

John

[mkmossop]

I have my doubts as to the historical accuracy of that ship, to be honest. There is an upper limit in size for wooden ships - any larger than a certain size, and they lose structural integrity. I suspect that there is a good dose of historic embellishment going on there.

 

Yes I've read this and that the ship is possibly only half the length of what is depicted here. So I'm not really sure what's accurate.

[Belco]

Hi:

Sorry for my English of Google.

I visit an exhibition in the Museum Maritim Barcelona over the Admiral Zheng He and the Discover Ships, and I could buy a book that related the  Admiral travels.( Els Grans Viatges de Zheng He by Dolors Folch, in Catalan, Castilian and English).

 

According to several experts on the subject, there is not a good conversion of the boats measures, shipyards of Longjiang where build the ships, classified in "Liao", so there are boats of 2000, 400, 200, 150, 100 "Liao" and such a boat of 2000 Liao, makes 200 chi long, 37 wide and 13 chi draft, (1 Chi is a Chinese foot), but the poblem is how many long is a chi?

Another inconvenient was the death of Emperor Yongle and the prevailing Confucianism, which is not considered interesting nothing out of china, ensured that everything related to the fleet was lost, the ships were scrapped, the Admiral diaries lost  and everything related to the Discover Ship into the realm of legend and stories.

 

Saludos

 

Belco

[NMBROOK]

According to Wiki,one Chi is equal to 333.3mm.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[Belco]

I see the English wiki, in Catalan or castilian Wiki,  the word Chi is not present. Thanks for the info.

 

In the future, I think build one of the ships.

 

Belco

[Vivian Galad]

To analyse Zheng He´s treasure ships you first need to understand the type of ship. Although too controversial, Zheng He´s fleet had ships 3 to 4 times the first ocean going european ships and tonnage about 800 tons for the treasure ships.

 

After reading the monograph 'Misunderstood Junks: Western View of Chinese Maritime Technology' by Hans K. Van Tilburg I got through a lot of referencies and the best (monograph author´s appointment) for junks description is that of Joseph Needham´s Science and Civilisation in China, Vol 4, part 3 over Nautical Technology. I still have to find this book, but we can read some parts of it on google books - one special part regards a figure that shows the rudder for a treasure ship reconstructed after a rudder post found in 1962 in Nanking.

 

 

 

Disregarding the Ming period texts, Zheng He´s ships were still marvelous in comparison to the Portuguese Caravels on the early 15th century.

[mtaylor]

Texas A&M has three thesis on Chinese ships.  Might be of some help or maybe not....

 

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/Theses/abstracts/inoue.html

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/Theses/abstracts/herron.html

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/Theses/abstracts/sasaki.html

 

For a full list of what they have: http://nautarch.tamu.edu/academic/alum.htm

[Vivian Galad]

I´ve read from the 3, Mark

 

(Well, I do wish to build Zheng He´s flagship)

Edited August 31, 2014 by Vivian Galad