Chinese paddle wheel boats
In China , boats with paddle wheels that were powered by muscle power were built early on . A fleet equipped in this way was repeatedly used against Jurchen and pirates on the Yangtze River during the Song Dynasty in the 12th century .
Paddle wheel drive
The idea of the paddle wheel drive was nothing specifically Chinese, the anonymous Roman war pamphlet De Rebus Bellicis from the late 4th century contained the proposal of a warship with several paddle wheels driven by oxen (Chapter XVII). The idea was demonstrably implemented for the first time in China, specifically in 418, when Admiral Wang Zhen'e fought against the Qiang on the Wei River .
Technical implementation in the prime
The paddle wheel ships experienced their heyday at the time of the Song Dynasty in the 12th century, when several variants of these ships emerged in quick succession. The chief designer after 1130 was a certain Gao Xuan (Kao Hsüan), former "first carpenter of the naval protection fleet on the Yellow River and the Baipo transport office of the directorate for waterways", who finally fell into the hands of rebels or pirates and ships for them had to construct.
Common to all ships were paddle wheels attached outboard, which were operated by human power using pedal wheels inside the ship's hull. The men stood in front of and behind the pedal so that you could go back and forth. The number of paddle wheels varied: with a 23-wheel variant around 1135 there were 11 wheels on the right, 11 wheels on the left and one in the back in front of the rudder. At least the rear paddle wheels were protected from destruction in the event of a collision by projecting planks. Such a ship had several decks and a crew of 200 to 300 men, a length of up to 110 meters and a mast for a sail.
Wang Yen Hui then brought out a variant with four paddle wheels and eight blades per wheel, operated by four men per wheel.
Since the paddle wheel ships were intended for military use on the Yangtze, they also had catapults amidships and on the bow, gas and explosive bombs, gripping irons for boulders (which were lifted and dropped onto the enemy ship) and ram rams .
Use in the flowering period
The ships were used when the Chinese relocated the way back over the Yangtze River to Jin General Wuzhu in 1130 after his successes in southern China. The victory ensured the continued existence of the Southern Song Dynasty. They were also used in 1161 when the Jin emperor Tikunai (Wanyan Liang) wanted to fight for the transition over the Yangtze River in person. He failed and was killed by his soldiers. The folk hero Yue Fei fought with a ruse against the pirate fleet of Yang Yao and Yang Qin, which were also equipped with paddle-wheel boats : He lured the pirates into a bay and used driftwood that blocked the paddle wheels and allowed the ships that were unable to maneuver to be boarded.
Most recently they were used in the First Opium War in 1841 against the British, who thought they were hasty replicas of their own paddle steamers .
literature
- Robert KG Temple: The Land of Flying Dragons. Chinese inventions from four millennia. Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1996, ISBN 3-7857-0576-X .
- Helga Brentjes, Burchard Brentjes : The hosts of the Orient. Brandenburgisches Verlags-Haus, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-327-01075-7 .