Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911)

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Ships during the Taiping Rebellion (1850-64)

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The ships listed here belongs to, or aided the operations of, the Qing government during the Taiping Rebellion.

The flotilla consisted of, at any time, one to six steamers. In addition, there were 2 large siege gunboats, 8 large covered boats and around 50 Chinese gunboats.[1][2]

These vessels did not directly belong to the Qing Navy, although Hyson, Confucius, Willamette and Tieh Pi were later purchased by provincial authorities, with Chun Ho later officially joining the Nationalist Navy.

Ships operated by other nations which aided Qing operations during the war include:

Ships of the Lay-Osborn Flotilla (1862-3)

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During the Taiping Rebellion, Great Britain sent Horatio Nelson Lay to help procure a fleet for China. Almost immediately after the ships had reached China, disagreements over the fleet led to its disbandment. Thus these vessels never belonged to the Qing Navy.[11]

The flotilla consisted of[12][13][14]:

Ships of the Henry Ward Fleet (1863)

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In the later stages of the Taiping Rebellion, Shanghai local authorities contracted Henry Gamaliel Ward, brother of Frederick Townsend Ward, to purchase 5 steamers. Henry Ward purchased 3 steamers which he sold to the Union Navy in 1863. None of the ships reached China.[16]

Ships of Local Provincial Authorities (1860s)

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Ships listed here belong to various customs or anti-privacy departments of the Qing Dynasty, and did not directly belong to the Qing Navy.[4]

  • Former vessels of the Ever Victorious Army, repurchased for use[4]
  • O Fen (呃吩), American steamer, confiscated 1863, used by Customs and Shanghai’s Pirate Suppression Bureau[4]
  • Fu Po (伏波), purchased by the Huai Army in 1865, later sold to Shanghai as patrol, later resold[17]
  • Chang Sheng (長勝), British vessel purchased on 5 March 1865[17] by Zuo Zongtang to stop food smuggling to Taiping forces and to ship rice to Formosa[18]
  • Ching Hai (靖海), originally pirate vessel Ku Tung (古董), confiscated on 7 April 1865[17] by Zuo Zongtang. Captained by a foreigner with Chinese officers[19] and used for patrols in the Xiamen Bay.[17] Later transferred to the Canton customs office.[19]
  • Fu Yuan (福源), purchased on 19 June 1866[17]
  • Hua Fu Pao (華福寶), purchased in Shanghai[20] on 15 September 1866[17]
  • Fu Sheng (福勝), purchased, destroyed in an boiler explosion during a storm on 25 December 1866[17]

A newspaper report of 1875 tallied 12 men-of-wars: 7 steamers, 3 converted junks with screws, and 2 "old British gunboats"[21]

  • Tientsin (天津) (Possibly the same ship as Tientsin of the Lay-Osborn Flotilla)[21]
  • Three British gunboats with similar specifications[22]
  • Chen Hai (鎮海), British or French gunboat purchased through the French Consulate in Canton by Ruilin in 1867—8 for 49,000 silver taels,[17][23][24] ship condemned and machinery refitted to Hai Ting Ching in 1874[21]
  • Cheng Ching (澄清), German vessel purchased through the French Consulate in Canton in 1867 [25][17]
  • Sui Ching (綏靖), British gunboat purchased through the French Consulate in Canton by Ruilin in 1867,[26][27] lost in 1886[21]
  • Tien Po (恬波), later Ching Po (靜波), French gunboat purchased through the French Consulate in Canton by Ruilin for 40,000 taels in 1868, sold 1882[28][27]
  • Kwangtung (廣東), built in Dumbarton, 1868, renamed An Lan (安瀾), possibly replacing the older ship[21]
  • Shantung (山東), built in Dumbarton, 1868, renamed Chan Tao (鎮濤), possibly replacing the older ship[21]
  • Peng Chao Hai (蓬州海)[21]

Ships of the Sino-French War and First Sino-Japanese War (1860s - 1895)

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Foreign vessels negotiated for sale to China

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During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese government, represented by Li Hongzhang, ​frantically attempted to purchase foreign vessels to bolster the Chinese navy. Some of the sales materialized, but were only delivered after the war. The following are vessels negotiated for sale to China, but failed to materialize.[29]

The sale of several Chilean vessels were negotiated through William Keswick of Jardine Matheson in August 1894. Keswick later claimed that the Chilean government had called off the sale. Japan later purchased Esmeralda. Li speculated that Japan had diplomatically halted the sale.[30] Vessels originalled negotiated for sale included:

After the failure to acquire Chilean vessels, several Argentinian vessels were negotiated through German-born Qing Commander Constantin von Hanneken [zh] in early 1895. The Argentinian government offered them at the price of £69,360 (equivalent to $10,119,686 in 2023, transport cost, ammunition and crew not included). This sale also failed to materialize:[31]

Reorganized Fleets (1895 - 1912)

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Cruiser Fleet

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Yangtze Fleet

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Local fleets

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  • Fengtian: An Hai (安海) · Sui Liao (綏遼) · Chen Liao (鎮遼) · Kai Kang (開港)
  • Zhili
    • Kuai Ma (快馬), a small ship made in Shanghai[32]
    • Fei Lung (飛龍), built by the Taku Dockyard in Tianjin from October—November 1888. Completed in December 1888—January 1889.[33]
    • Tieh Lung (鐵龍), built in Tianjin, 1890[33]
    • Chin Wu (勁武)
  • Kiangsu: Foo An (福安) · Kiang An (江安) · Cheng Po (澄波) · Ping Ching (平鏡) · Han Kuang (漢廣) · Chiang Chang (江常) · Ming Wang (鳴王) · Chiang Ping (江平) · Chiang Ching (江靖) · Chao Hu (巢湖) · Ya Chou (亞洲)
  • Anhwei: An Feng (安豐)
  • Shantung: Ching Hai (靖海)
  • Kiangsu and Chekiang: Jen Yung (仁勇) · Pei Jung (培戎) · Chen Wei (振威) · Hsuan Chieeh (宣節) · Chao Wu (昭武) · I Hui (翊麾) · Chih Kuo (致果) · Yu Wu (御武)
  • Chekiang: Chao Wu (超武) · Yung Fu (永福) · Yung An (永安) · Yung Ching (永靖) · Yung Ting (永定) · Hsin Pao Shun (新寶順)
  • Hubei: Chu Tsai (楚材)· Chu An (楚安)· Chiang Ching (江清)· Chiang Tai (江泰)
  • Fujian
    • Transports: Foo An (福安) · Yuan Kai (元凱) · Fei Chieh (飛捷)
    • Other vessels: Ting Hai (定海) · Nan Tung (南通) · Li Chi (利濟)
  • Guangdong
  • Guangxi: Ting Hsi (定西)· Ching Hsi (靖西)

Other vessels

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Vessels ordered but did not serve due to the Xinhai Revolution (1911)

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1912 - 1937

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To be completed

Ships of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)

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To be completed

Ships of the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949)

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To be completed

To be completed

Manchukuo (1932-1945)

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To be completed

Citations

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  1. ^ a b Wilson 1868, p. 134.
  2. ^ a b c d Curwen 1976, p. 285.
  3. ^ Wilson 1868, p. 189.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Chen 2013, p. 4.
  5. ^ a b Li 2012, p. 480.
  6. ^ Wilson 1868, p. 220.
  7. ^ a b Carr 1995, p. 272.
  8. ^ Lindley 1866, p. 552.
  9. ^ a b Wilson 1868, p. 98.
  10. ^ a b c Wilson 1868, p. 99.
  11. ^ Chen 2013, p. 7.
  12. ^ Chen 2013, pp. 8–13.
  13. ^ Wright 2000, pp. 15–19.
  14. ^ Clowes 1903.
  15. ^ Wright 2000, p. 19.
  16. ^ Chen 2013, pp. 15–17.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i Chen 2013, p. 5.
  18. ^ Rawlinson 1967, p. 247.
  19. ^ a b Rawlinson 1967, p. 250.
  20. ^ Rawlinson 1967, p. 253.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Wright 2000, p. 20.
  22. ^ "飞龙、安澜、镇涛". 北洋水師 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2006-08-27.
  23. ^ Rawlinson 1967, p. 248.
  24. ^ Chen 2002, p. 176.
  25. ^ Rawlinson 1967, p. 249.
  26. ^ Rawlinson 1967, p. 256.
  27. ^ a b Chen 2013, p. 6.
  28. ^ Rawlinson 1967, p. 257.
  29. ^ Chen 2009, p. 269.
  30. ^ Chen 2009, pp. 269–274.
  31. ^ Chen 2009, pp. 274–275.
  32. ^ Yu, Biyun. Draft History of Qing, Vol. 136  (in Chinese) – via Wikisource.
  33. ^ a b Chen 2009, p. 300.

References

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