Southern Song Navy Warships

Timeline

1. 1132Huangtiandang · Lower YangtzeHan Shizhong led the fleet with tower ships and sea-falcons to seal off the river, coordinating with fire ships to burn Wanyan Wuzhu's crossing vessels and heavily damaging his fleet, demonstrating the decisive role of Southern Song warships in blocking enemy river crossings.
2. 1133–1140Naval camps of the Jiang-Huai prefectures · Lower YangtzeDuring the Shaoxing era the court established naval camps along the Yangtze and Huai, equipped with tower ships, fast galleys, and ballistae, implementing rotating garrison patrols and ferry-point blockades, while warship organization and supply systems were gradually institutionalized.
3. 1160–1279Lin'an naval workshops · Southern SongIn the mid-to-late Southern Song the navy fielded paddle-wheel ships (chuan) and firearms such as thunderbolt bombs and fire balls; warships grew larger with stronger offensive and defensive capability, still playing an important role in later campaigns such as the Battle of Xiangfan.