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Louchuan (traditional Chinese: , simplified: , pinyin: ''lóuchuán'', lit. ''tower ships'') were a type of Chinese naval vessels, primarily a floating fortress, which have seen use since the
Louchuan (traditional Chinese: , simplified: , pinyin: ''lóuchuán'', lit. ''tower ships'') were a type of Chinese naval vessels, primarily a floating fortress, which have seen use since the Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
. Meant to be a central vessel in the fleet, the louchuan was equipped for boarding and attacking enemy vessels, as well as with siege weapons including traction trebuchet
The mangonel, also called the traction trebuchet, was a type of trebuchet used in Ancient China starting from the Warring States period, and later across Eurasia by the 6th century AD. Unlike the later counterweight trebuchet, the mangonel opera ...
s for ranged combat.Needham, Joseph (translated by), ''Taibai Yinjing'', Volume 4, Part 2, pg. 685.
Description
Historical records relating to the louchuan are found in sources such as the Song dynasty military treatise ''Wujing Zongyao
The ''Wujing Zongyao'' (), sometimes rendered in English as the ''Complete Essentials for the Military Classics'', is a Chinese military compendium written from around 1040 to 1044.
The book was compiled during the Northern Song dynasty by Z ...
'', written during the Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
, and the ''Taibai Yinjing'' from the Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
. From the latter (as translated by British biochemist, sinologist, and historian Joseph Needham), the tower ships were described as:
The use of such ships in riverine warfare, especially along the Chang Jiang, stretches back to the late Han dynasty, and perhaps even earlier.
See also
*Naval history of China
The naval history of China dates back thousands of years, with archives existing since the late Spring and Autumn period regarding the Chinese navy and the various ship types employed in wars.Needham, Volume 4, Part 3, 678. The Ming dynasty of Chi ...
*Battle of Lake Poyang
The Battle of Lake Poyang () was a naval conflict which took place (30 August – 4 October 1363) between the rebel forces of Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang during the Red Turban Rebellion which led to the fall of the Yuan dynasty. Chen Youlia ...
References
Chinese inventions Military history of the Han dynasty Naval ships of China {{China-mil-stub