Zheng He's ship the King of the Seas

Zheng He's ship the King of the Seas

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

What was so special about Zheng He's (popularly known as Cheng Ho) ship, that it was able to weather the challenges at sea during his historic voyage 600 years ago? Based on accounts from historians, the ship, which sailed through Asia, the Middle East and Africa between 1405-1433, was incredible.

Historian Slamet Muljana explained in his book that Zheng He set sail on a large wooden ship. Historian Gan Kok Hwie said that what was special about Zheng He's ship was that it was made from wooden panels that were fitted together without the help of nails.

"The ship was water resistant. All the wooden panels were locked together with the help of bamboo pegs," said historian Kok Hwie on Thursday.

The Chinese ship was much more spectacular than any other ship in the 15th century in terms of its size. Zheng He's ship was some 10 times bigger than the ship used by explorer Vasco da Gama who traveled around the world in 1497. The 132-meter long and 54- meter wide ship was three times bigger than the ship St. Mary used by Christopher Columbus who traveled around the world in 1492.

Compared to the European Caravel ships, Chinese ships were equally fast. However, the Chinese ships had a much bigger capacity. Chinese ships were built so that the floor of the ship was flat, providing more space to carry goods. The ship had three main masts, and this style was adopted by European ships hundreds of years later. Another characteristic that distinguished it from European ships was that its quadrangle sail was much wider allowing it to can catch more wind.

The Zheng He anchor had three arms, slight different from European ships that generally had two arms, said Salim Setiaji, who was responsible for the making of the replica that will be on public display during the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyage.

"I saw a comparison made between the St. Mary and Zheng He's ship on a video compact disc and from this I saw that the Zheng He's ship was much bigger," said Salim Setiaji.

Zheng He's ship carried some 27,000 people of various expertise. Most were soldiers but there were also carpenters, navigators, traders, political observers, artists and cultural experts.

Zheng He's ship was flanked by 252 other smaller ships during his 28-year voyage between China and countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. During his voyage, Zheng He prioritized the exchange of culture and knowledge and promoted friendship with the countries he visited, but was also prepared for battle if needed. With over 200 ships under his command, it would be no exaggeration to say that Zheng He was the King of Seas in his day.

The committee tasked with organizing the commemoration of Zheng He's voyage built the ship replica, which will be displayed during the anniversary ceremony on Aug. 3 and Aug. 4.

However, the replica is not as detailed as Zheng He's ship. The multistoried rooms in the ship are absent, including windows at the back side of the ship. The replica is merely 30 meters long and 11 meters wide.

"So, can you imagine how big Zheng He's ship was. Despite the model being much smaller, it gives a picture of what the ship looked like," said Salim.