The Boats (2)

“Unusable?!” Many people looked disappointed. Their dreams of a gorgeous battleship seemed to vanish into a puff of smoke.

“Why run it aground?” Someone objected, “Once we run the ship aground, it will be difficult, perhaps impossible, to float it again. Even if we don’t have enough crew to sail it for now, that doesn’t mean we won’t in the future.”

“Just a single crossing and then it becomes a hotel? What a waste! How can us time travellers fight against pirates without an invincible warship on our side?”

“With just this ship, Zheng Zhilong, Liu Xiang, the Netherlands, the British Empire—all of them are just chaff!”

“Can we not run it aground?” Wen Desi echoed in a more moderate tone, “There are many good ports in western Hainan. There are even several deep-water harbour development areas in Lingao. I think there was one called Jinpai Port? I saw in advertisements in Guangzhou that it was looking for investors. So anyway, there should definitely be sufficient space for a deep-water berth over there.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Meng De knew that everyone present basically had no knowledge of shipping and port design, so he explained it briefly.

In the pre-modern era, except for very few harbours with particularly favourable geographical and hydrological conditions where large ships could berth directly up against the shore, in most cases large ships had to set anchor in deep water far away from the shore. Crew would then use pontoons or smaller ships to transfer cargo and passengers. Even in modern times, many ports still had ferries and barges to transport stuff onto and off large cruise ships. This meant that efficiency of on and off-loading took a significant hit. Consequently, modern ports often had a lot of supporting facilities. But even the simplest facilities involved significant investment.

Lingao, where the time travellers were planning to land, was located in the northern part of Hainan Island, and to the north of it was the Qiongzhou strait. Its coastline started from Mulantou in the east and ended at Bingmajiao in the West. Along it there were a series of bays and concave shore sections. From east to west, they were Puqian Bay, Haikou Bay, Chengmai Bay, Dongshui Port, Huachang Port, Maniao Port, Hongpai Port and Houshui Bay.

Along the coastline were also countless ports of all sizes. However, most of these were small and undeveloped ports with only a few small fishing boats. Although Hainan Island was an important stopover point for foreign maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty, with many merchant ships stopping to take shelter from storms and replenish supplies, the island’s own maritime infrastructure was undeveloped, and most of that was concentrated in Shenying Port in Qiongshan. Almost all the ports in Lingao still retained their natural appearance.

"There won’t be any port facilities extant in these ports in the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the ports in the northern part of Hainan are generally shallow. The Jinpai Port Development Zone mentioned by Chief Wen is actually also known as Hongpai Port. After the first phase of development and dredging, the port area had just barely managed to achieve a capacity sufficient to berth a 5,000-ton cargo ship."

This remark caused everyone to whisper. Many people had always believed that Hongpai was a natural good port; this was evidently not the case. The Hongpai Peninsula jutted north into the open sea. And the coast of the cape had been eroded by waves and wind, forming jagged cliffs and ledges. The eroded igneous rock was then carried to the west side of the peninsula through the currents, eventually accumulating into a gravel beach. The finer mud and sand and other sedimentation was transported further into Hongpai Port, such that a beach with medium and coarse sand grains formed. Hongpai Island on the west side of the peninsula was a basalt wave-cut platform, and the waters are relatively deep in this area, being mostly over 5 metres deep. In comparison, the water depth in Hongpai Port was only 2 to 4 metres due to siltation.

Originally, the Executive Committee planned to choose Jinpai Port (Hongpai Port) as their destination, but Meng De’s words dispelled this notion. With a depth of only 2-4 metres, it would be difficult for ships of 2,000 to 3,000 tons to berth, let alone their planned 10,000-ton cargo ship.

"Also, the large number of underwater shoals in Hongpai Port will make unloading work very difficult."

"Among the ports in Lingao, the best natural hydrological conditions I know of are actually in Houshui Bay. There are 10-meter-deep trenches extending into the bay on both sides of Linchang Island within the bay. The land-facing side of Linchang is a shallow shoal due to silt accumulation, and even there the water depth is still 7 to 8 meters. The coast line is also full of coral reefs which resist erosion. Overall, there are few sources of silt and sediment in the bay. In conclusion, the erosion and siltation environment along the shoreline in Houshui Bay is good. It could be said that Houshui Bay is the best natural deep-water port in Lingao. For us time travellers, Linchang Island also serves as a natural defensive barrier. Building a fort on Linchang would let us negate any attack by sea. This defence situation is much better than relying on small reef islands like Hongpai Islet in Hongpai Port."

What was an expert? This was an expert! Whether it was a military or social organisation, the proper and accurate allocation of labour was the prerequisite for excellence. The Executive Committee deeply realised this. There was an atmosphere of awe in the meeting room.

"It seems that things in this world cannot be taken for granted!" Ma Qianzhu sighed.

"So do we choose Houshui Bay as our landing base? Since the conditions there sound so outstanding."

"No, no," Meng De shook his head repeatedly, "Houshui Bay is good as a port, but it is not suitable as a landing point: there is no fresh water there."

Historically, the Houshui Bay area in Lingao did not have a large natural river. It was actually located in a relatively arid area. The villages there had always been troubled by water shortages. It was not until after liberation that deep wells were dug and multiple irrigation channels were excavated, was the shortage ameliorated.^[1]

Without enough fresh water everything would become inconvenient. Moreover, Houshui Bay was a bit far from Lingao County and their planned main base location, making communication and transport harder.

"Then what do you suggest?" The tone of the Committee members at this moment had changed from casual to respectful.

"Hmmm, let me think. Where will our main base be located?"

"Bairen Beach. In the lower reaches of the Wenlan River."

"Then Bopu Port is the best, if you go by proximity." Mond thought for a while, "Bopu Port is actually the estuary of the Wenlan River. It is classified as an estuary port. It has long been an important gateway for ships travelling between Hainan Island and the mainland, and the surrounding geography make it naturally well-sheltered. The central channels in the port can reach 6-7 metres in depth. The downside is that there are many sandbanks in the port and the available anchorage is rather small."

"Is that deep enough for a 10,000-ton ship? I remember that such a ship would pull a draft of about 7 metres."

"You’re right, but a shallow-draft coastal cargo ship might have a shallower draft for the same deadweight. The problem is that I don't have any local nautical charts. Wait, no, there are no charts from the Ming Dynasty anyway. Also, we don’t have a pilot or a skilled engine crew. With all these things missing, I’m not confident we’d be able to dock at a modern port. In fact, even a lot of modern ships are "tugged" to their berths by tugs after they enter the harbour mouth; the helmsman is not usually the one in main control. I’m afraid that if we only rely on my ship-handling skills, if I don’t run aground or get beached, it would be a miracle."

"But the ship alone would cost at least tens of millions. Are we really going to spend all that money just to build a Hotel Yamato?"^[2]

"Actually, my suggestion is to use a barge. A flat deck or an open barge will do." Meng De boldly put forward an idea that was not at all aesthetic and looked down upon by everyone. But he just ignored them. At least in his professional field there was no other expert, which greatly emboldened him–he would not be beaten up even if he said something wrong.

"Aren’t they towed by tug boats? And don’t they only operate on rivers?"

"I'm talking about sea barges, which are generally used in coastal seas. The deadweight tonnage ranges from 1,500 to 8,500 tons. Some of these barges are self-powered and can sail short distances along the coast without assistance. All ships of this type have a very shallow draft; for a 1,500-ton barge it might only draw 2 metres."

The specifications of a typical self-propelled deck barge were as follows:

Displacement: 1,500 tons

Gross tonnage: 1,411 tons

Net tonnage: 342 tons

Length: 61 metres

Beam: 13.6 metres

Moulded Depth: 3.2 metres

Draft: 1.832 metres

Operational area: coastal and shallow seas

Main generator power: 330KW

Such a barge could transport all sorts of dry goods and containers without issue. The disadvantage was that the barge was very slow, unsuitable for long trips, and had poor performance in rougher waters. It could only be used for short-distance coastal shipping. Of course, this was not a significant limitation for the time travellers’ use case.

However, after comprehensive consideration, it was decided that a cargo ship would remain their primary preference, and self-propelled barges would only be purchased as a backup if the budget proved insufficient. The reason for this was simple. Self-propelled barges had no lifting and loading equipment: they were completely dependent on port-side facilities. For the time travellers, unloading thousands of tons of materials by hand was a fairytale dream, not to mention that some of the machines they were bringing weighed tens or hundreds of tons. Such items could not even be lifted by humans, no matter how many people they used. On the other hand, cargo ships were usually equipped with booms and cranes in order to load and unload their own payloads.

"I have an idea." The Sports Group’s Wu De said. He had also participated in this ship selection meeting because he had previously served in the Marine Police and was the foundation of the time travellers’ naval force.^[3]

"Let’s just say that we do not run the cargo ship aground in Lingao.” Wu De continued, “Even still, it would not be practical to use it as a warship." Wu De brushed off the dust on his sleeves. "Large cargo ships have a deep draft, and are complicated to operate. Steering and turning the boat will not be much faster than sailing ships. No matter how powerful the ship is, will the opponent come to fight you head-on after suffering a loss? They have a numerical advantage and can harass us on our sailing routes and up and down the coast wherever we go. If we fight under such circumstances we’d be rapidly overwhelmed. We focus on one thing and lose sight of something else; we can’t divide our forces. And even if we go out to sea and destroy a few of them, the rest will escape to shallow waters. What then? Will you go and chase them down on lifeboats? What we want and need is control over the entire sea. A single lonely ship that guzzles fuel and is a sink of manpower doesn’t work; it’s too wasteful of our resources."

That gorgeous cargo ship was criticised by Wu De. Everyone felt a little saddened, but when they thought his words through, it sounded reasonable enough.

"I am a fisherman myself.” Wu De said, “I drove a fishing boat back when I was younger. Then when I served in the military, I saw that the navy also used fishing boats. Those 200-400 ton boats have great endurance and are highly resistant to wind and waves. Wouldn't it be better to use them as the main force of our fleet, rather than any large cargo ship? Not to mention the blazing speed these boats can achieve. They also use far less fuel."

"It can also fish!"

"Yes, it can also catch fish. These boats are generally designed as trawlers and are very durable."

"It's not easy to buy a fishing boat." Meng De objected, "The procedures of the Fishery Bureau are too complicated."

"It doesn't matter. We can just declare that we won’t use it for fishing after we buy it. After all, we are free to do whatever we want with it after crossing over."

There were several different views on this idea within the Executive Committee; some thought that it would complicate the operation too much if they used several boats. However, the majority of the Executive Committee still expressed support–Hainan, which the crossing group wanted to develop as their main base, had abundant fishery resources in the surrounding waters. The Beibu Gulf was still an important fishing ground, and every year Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen even had disputes over the area. The waters back in the 17th century would be even richer, and having one or several fishing boats could be a great supplemental source of protein. Modern fishing boats were light, versatile and easy to operate. They were more than adequate to serve as an early coastal force. The narrowest part of the Qiongzhou Strait was less than 18 kilometres, and even very small ships could easily cross it. Without agile ships acting as pickets and providing early warning, it would be all too likely that the enemy would remain undiscovered until they could be spotted from the shore. That would leave them in a passive situation. A few quick and nimble trawlers could fulfil this screening role.

In the end however, the plan was to focus on the cargo ship first. Wu De was entrusted to find a ship and also a list of related spare parts and materials. After the meeting finished, at Meng De's suggestion, a group of travellers with good physicality and an interest in sailing were selected to undergo training. Meng De took advantage of his network and found a friend who operated several family-owned coastal cargo ships, and sent people on board for one-on-one direct training. Then, Wu De was dispatched to go with Wang Luobin to hunt for a seller.

---

1. Post-liberation meaning after 1949 with the founding of the PRC, which is canonically the date when all of China was ‘liberated’. I use quotations because the civil war was actually still ongoing. ↩︎

2. The Battleship Yamato was beached on Okinawa as its final military post, humorously called ‘Hotel Yamato’ ↩︎

3. The Marine Police no longer exists now. In ye olden days (2009), China actually had several maritime law enforcement agencies. In July 2013 they were unified into the China Coast Guard (CCG, 中国海警). Boaster here lists one of the old agencies. ↩︎