Japanese warship Hōō Maru
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 Japanese warship Hōō Maru
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Hōō Maru |
| Builder | Uraga shipyard |
| Laid down | October 22, 1848 |
| Commissioned | June 6, 1849 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 600 long tons (610 t) |
| Length | 36.4 m (119 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) |
| Sail plan | Barque |
| Armament | 10 cannon |
Hōō Maru (鳳凰丸,
Background
Since the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Tokugawa shogunate ruling Japan pursued a policy of
The Uraga bugyō, Nakajima Saburosuke (中島三郎助), also received permission from senior rōjū Abe Masahiro to build a new vessel. The project was headed by Nakajima and the local yoriki and dōshin, although the actual design work on the vessel was done by local shipwrights. The construction of the new vessel started on October 23, 1853, and was completed on June 6, 1854.
Design
Hōō Maru was a three-masted barque-rigged sailing vessel, with an overall length of 36.4 meters. Of wooden construction, her hull was painted with red lacquer, and she was sheathed in copper to the waterline. Her armament consisted of ten muzzle-loading cannon (4 large, 6 small). Her sails had black bands, which was characteristic of Tokugawa naval vessels.
Operational history
Hōō Maru was already obsolete by the time of her completion, and although she handled well, she was no match as a warship for the steam-powered vessels of the western powers. She was used primarily as a troop transport by the Tokugawa Navy. During the
After the
Notes
References
- Beasley, William G (1972). The Meiji Restoration. Stamford University Press. ISBN 0804708150.
- Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.