Zheng He Treasure Ship (Baochuan)

Type

Junk

Period

15th Century

Nation

China

Overview: The Baochuan, or treasure ship, was the largest class of vessel in the fleet commanded by Ming-dynasty admiral Zheng He, who led seven maritime expeditions in the early 15th century. It is classed as a large Chinese junk, built with a junk rig and used as an armed flagship and cargo carrier for tribute goods such as silk, porcelain, and tea. Specifications: Reported dimensions vary enormously and remain disputed among historians. Ming-era texts describe the largest ships at roughly 137 m long by 55-58 m wide with 6-9 masts, though many modern naval architects consider this implausible for a wooden hull and argue for a more modest 60-76 m; a smaller, better-substantiated "war junk" class is often cited at roughly 71 m long, 14 m beam, 6.1 m draught, about 3,100 tons displacement, 6-7 masts, and 24 cannon. Service History: Treasure ships served as flagships and diplomatic/trade vessels on all seven of Zheng He's voyages between 1405 and 1433, sailing from the Yangtze delta through Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and as far as the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa. After the Yongle Emperor's successors lost interest in the expeditions, the ships were laid up and eventually rotted away in port, and some voyage records were reportedly destroyed. Notable Facts: A large wooden rudder post, roughly 11 m long, was unearthed at the Longjiang/Treasure Shipyard site in Nanjing in 1957 and is often cited (though disputed) as evidence for the larger size claims. Full-size non-seaworthy replicas and exhibit models have since been built, including a concrete-and-timber replica at the Nanjing shipyard site and models at the Hong Kong Science Museum, the Maritime Experiential Museum & Aquarium in Singapore, and the International Maritime Museum Hamburg — useful visual references for scale modelers given the total absence of an original hull or contemporary technical draught.