Daomu Biji: Wu Xie’s Private Notes

Chapter 21: Drawings Of The Ship

Later, I discussed the ships structure with Fatty. We drew a lot of sketches and felt that there would be problems with the overall structure since the ship was so huge. It was impossible for a ship this size to sail, which was why we felt that it functioned more as a huge tomb than an actual seafaring ship.

The biggest problem with such a huge wooden boat was the keel. There wasnt a tree in the world big enough to make the keel of this ship, so they must have combined different woods to form it. If that was the case, then this structure was very intriguing, and we would need sonar to determine whether the ship was actually this huge, a little smaller, or not that shape at all.

I asked several ship engineers for their opinions, but they all thought my idea was too exaggerated. Only one person told me that it wasnt completely impossible. Although it might have looked like a ship, it may have actually been several ships spliced together. Moreover, since this ship wasnt for use, it only needed to be able to arrive at the sea burial site when the wind and sea were calm. To put it bluntly, this was a huge float.

Sometimes, I couldnt help but wonder how many ancient peoples efforts and brilliance had been devoted to this kind of ancient behemoth.

If this technology hadnt been used exclusively by the royal family, or secretly kept in the hands of a few outstanding craftsmen, it couldve been spread to the ordinary masses. At that point, maybe China might have become a transoceanic empire.

If this kind of warship existed at that time, it could provide artillery support along the shore as soldiers swarmed out. Who could stop them?

It was a pity that this giant vessel in the Ming Dynasty eventually became the tomb of the shipbuilder. I didnt know if it was ironic or sad.

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