Chinese cruiser Zhiyuan
Zhiyuan around 1894
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History | |
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Imperial China | |
Name | Zhiyuan |
Ordered | October 1885 |
Builder | Elswick, England |
Laid down | 20 October 1885 |
Launched | 29 September 1886 |
Completed | 23 July 1887 |
Fate | Sunk in combat, 17 September 1894 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Zhiyuan-class protected cruiser |
Displacement | 2,300 long tons (2,300 t) |
Length | 268 ft (82 m) |
Beam | 38 ft (12 m) |
Draft | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
Capacity | 510 tons of coal |
Complement | 204–260 officers and men |
Armament |
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Armor |
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Zhiyuan (
She was part of a flotilla which toured ports during the summer of 1889. Zhiyuan's sole action was at the
Design and description
At the time that Zhiyuan was ordered in October 1885, there was a debate in naval circles over the differences between
Zhiyuen was 268 feet (82 metres) long overall. She had a beam of 38 ft (12 m) and a draught of 15 ft (4.6 m). Zhiyuen displaced 2,300 long tons (2,300 tonnes), and carried a crew of 204–260 officers and enlisted men.[1] She was equipped with an internal protective armoured deck, which was 4 inches (10 centimetres) thick on the slopes and 3 in (7.6 cm) on the flat.[1] The superstructure was divided into watertight compartments, and had a raised forecastle and poop, a single funnel, and two masts.[3] She was powered by a compound-expansion steam engine with four boilers, driving two screws. This provided 6,850 indicated horsepower (5,110 kW) for a top speed of 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph).[1] The ship was equipped with electrics and hydraulics throughout, which included the movement of the shot from the ammunition lockers to the guns.[3]
Earlier protected cruisers, such as the
Service history
Following the orders for the two protected cruisers by Li Hongzhang in October 1885, Zhiyuan was
Following completion, both ships, along with the two armored cruisers
During 1888, Zhiyuen was repainted along with the rest of the Chinese Navy, changing from the all grey scheme she had sailed from England with, to a combination of a black hull, white above the waterline and buff coloured funnels, typical of the Victorian era. In May 1889, Zhiyuen and the Beiyang Fleet were moved to fortify Weihaiwei (now Weihai). During the summer of that year, she was part of the flotilla led by Admiral Ding Ruchang, which travelled to Chefoo (now Yantai), Chemlupo (now Incheon, South Korea), and the Imperial Russian Navy base of Vladivostok. On the return leg of the journey, they stopped at Fusan (now Busan, South Korea).[5]
Battle of the Yalu River
Zhiyuen first saw action during one of the opening engagements of the First Sino-Japanese War, in the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894. Each Chinese ship was paired with another in a supporting role in case of a signalling failure, with Zhiyuen and her sister ship grouped together.[6] Shortly after the start of the battle, Admiral Ruchang's signalling mast aboard Dingyuan was disabled by its own weapons. This meant that the entire Chinese fleet operated in these pairs throughout the battle without any central organisation.[7]
By 2:00 pm, Zhiyuen was engaged with the
Captain Deng gave the order for the ship to ram a Japanese cruiser,[11] but as she closed, a hit by a 10 in (25 cm) shell on one of Zhiyuan's torpedo tubes caused an explosion; she sank at around 3:30 pm.[10] Alternative reports have suggested that Zhiyuan was actually torpedoed.[12][13] Of the 246 officers and men on board, only seven survived.[14]
American Philo McGiffin, who was on board Zhenyuan, reported after the battle that there had been a variety of stories about the fate of the ship, but one that the survivors agreed on was the tale of the interaction between Captain Deng and his dog. As the ship went down, the captain ended up clinging to a piece of debris. However, his dog swam to him. Deng released the debris, and unable to swim, he drowned along with the dog.[15] Chinese sources have subsequently stated Captain Deng made the decision to go down with Zhiyuan. In this retelling, the dog attempted to drag him to safety, but he refused to be moved and both died.[13]
Legacy
Popular culture
The story of Deng's order to ram the Yoshino and his subsequent refusal to leave his ship as it sank has resulted in him being placed in popular culture as a national hero, particularly following the formation of the
As a result, Zhiyuan has received many mentions and appearances in historical reenactments, such as the 1962
Reconstruction
To commemorate this period of history, in 2014, China invested 37 million
Excavation of the wreck
From 1997 onwards, there have been attempts to locate the wreckage of the Zhiyuan. During a dredging process near the mouth of the Yalu discovered hull fragments from the Chinese vessels.[14] In 2013, a shipwreck was discovered near Dandong Port and subsequently code-named "Dandong No 1". After an almost two year long investigation, it was officially confirmed as the wreck of Zhiyuan. Further excavation work then ensued 59 kilometres (37 mi) south of the Yalu.[21] Over 100 items have since been salvaged from Zhiyuan, including weapons, parts of the ship, and items related to the daily life of the crew.[22]
A broken china plate bearing the name of Zhiyuan was found, which helped to identify the vessel. Naval historian Chen Yue stressed the importance of finding common living items to those researching the Sino-Japanese War and expressed a high hope of discovering the official seal of the vessel. He said, "The ship seal was invariably made of good materials and stored in a sturdy box. It is highly possible that we can find it."[22] During the excavation, the bodies of seven of the crew were recovered.[23] The idea of floating the wreck was initially discontinued due to the risk of structural collapse,[21] but plans to raise the vessel have not yet been finalized. It is intended for the artifacts to be displayed at a new museum, located in nearby Dandong.[24]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wright 2000, p. 73.
- ^ Chesneau & Kolesnik 1979, p. 396.
- ^ a b c d e Wright 2000, p. 76.
- ^ Wright 2000, p. 74.
- ^ Wright 2000, p. 82.
- ^ Wright 2000, p. 90.
- ^ a b Wright 2000, p. 91.
- ^ McGiffin 1895, p. 597.
- ^ McGiffin 1895, p. 598.
- ^ a b Wright 2000, p. 92.
- ^ The Brisbane Courier. Vol. LI, no. 11477. 26 October 1894. p. 5. Retrieved 7 January 2017 – via Trove.
- The Express and Telegraph. Vol. XXXI, no. 9257. 21 September 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 7 January 2017 – via Trove.
- ^ a b Yining, Peng (24 September 2014). "Sea change". China Daily. State Council Information Office. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ Sina Corp. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ McGiffin 1895, p. 599.
- ^ a b Clark 1987, pp. 114–115.
- ^ Mitchell, Tom; Harding, Robin; Mundy, Simon (11 August 2015). "Asia: History lessons feed rival nationalisms". Financial Times. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ Erickson et al. 2012, pp. 264–265.
- ^ Müller 2007, p. 38.
- Xinhuanet (in Chinese). 2 August 2014. Archived from the originalon 13 September 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Excavation of famed Chinese warship underway". China Daily. Xinhua. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ a b Yang, Li (5 October 2015). "Excavation of famed Zhiyuan begins". China Daily. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ "Century-old body remains found from warship wreckage". Xinhuanet. Xinhua News Agency. 5 October 2015. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "China to build museum near Sino-Japanese War shipwreck". Xinhuanet. Xinhua News Agency. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
References
- Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Clark, Paul (1987). ISBN 978-0-521-32638-4.
- McGiffin, Philo N. (August 1895). "The Battle of the Yalu". The Century Magazine. New York: The Century Company.
- Erickson, Andrew S.; Goldstein, Lyle J.; Murray, William S. & Wilson, Andrew, eds. (2012). China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force. New York: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-61251-150-4.
- Müller, Gotelund (2007). The Chinese Steam Navy. Berlin: Lit. ISBN 978-3-8258-0787-0.
- Wright, Richard N.J. (2000). The Chinese Steam Navy. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-144-6.
External links
- Media related to Chinese Cruiser Chih Yuen at Wikimedia Commons