← Explore on the interactive map

Southern Song Sea Warships

Type Object Region Southeast China coast Time 1161–1170

Main warship types of the Southern Song coastal navy in the Shaoxing era: Haigu, tower ships, ironclad fast ships, and pedal-driven Haiqiu ships.

Timeline

  1. 1161Tang Island (today's Tangdao Bay, Huangdao, Qingdao, Shandong) · Shandong PeninsulaVice Commander of Western Zhejiang Li Bao led 120 warships north, using ironclad fast ships for assault, thunder crash bombs and fire arrows for fire attacks, and boarding combat, defeating over 600 Jin warships at Tang Island Bay and validating the combat effectiveness of the Southern Song sea warship system.
  2. 1162–1163Mingzhou (today's Ningbo, Zhejiang) · ZhejiangAround the Longxing Peace Agreement, the southeastern navy continued to rely on Haigu (low head, high tail, side float boards for stability) and tower ships (multi-level decks, counterweight arms hurling stones), supplemented by pedal-driven Haiqiu paddle ships, forming a combined near- and far-range configuration.
  3. 1161–1165Lower Yangtze and Yellow Sea waters · JianghuaiBoth the 1161 naval battles at Caoshi Reef and Tang Island used thunder crash bombs and fire arrows, prompting the Southern Song to systematically equip warships with catapults and gunpowder bombs, strengthening arson capability against enemy sails, rigging, and oiled canvas sails.
  4. 1168–1170Coast of Lin'an Prefecture (today's Hangzhou Bay to Zhoushan, Zhejiang) · ZhejiangAfter the Song-Jin standoff stabilized, the southeastern navy used Haigu, tower ships, and fast ships to maintain patrols of Hangzhou Bay and the open sea, guarding against renewed Jin seaborne threats to the temporary capital Lin'an; the sea warship system entered routine defensive use.

Sources