19世纪中期中国最大木质风帆战船“耆英”号研究

A Study on"Keying",the Largest Chinese Wooden Ship in the Mid-19th Century

近代以来,战船成为展示国家综合实力的标志。鸦片战争前后,由于海战的失败和中西军事技术“代差”的刺激,闽粤省份的官员兴起购买与仿制西洋船炮的热潮。广东官方自制的一艘广船与福船的结合型“耆英”号木质风帆战船,排水量约700吨,尺量等同于英国同期五六级战船。该船是1846~1848年间唯一有记载的、长度最大、自行从中国出发绕非洲好望角驶入大西洋的中式帆船。同时,它也是有史以来首艘抵达美国、英国的中国船只,英美民众对其称誉有加。由于晚清综合实力较弱以及诸多社会和技术条件的制约,与同期侵华英国风帆战船和明轮船相比,“耆英”号木质风帆战船仅是船体庞大、抗沉性和操纵性好,而其坚固性、导航、航速等性能落后于英国战船。

Since modern times,warships have become floating fortresses on the sea indicating a country′s comprehensive strength.Before and after the Opium War,in the face of the failure in defense against the invasion of Britain and with the"generation difference"between Chinese and Western military technology,Fujian and Guangdong provinces started a preliminary upsurge of purchasing and copying the guns of the ships from Western countries.For example,the"Keying"wooden sailing ship,a combination of Guangdong and Fujian ships,was made by the Guangdong government and its people,with the displacement about 700 tons and its size was equal to that of the British class five warships of the same period."Keying"was remarkable for being the only recorded Chinese warship to sail from China to the Atlantic Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope between 1846 and 1848 and the first Chinese ship ever to reach both England and the east coast of the United States,winning quite a few of compliments from the British and American public.However,in essence,due to the poor comprehensive strength of the late Qing Dynasty,as well as many social and technical constraints,the ship should be advanced in technology,but overall lagging behind to some extent,with the characteristics of ancient Chinese science and technology limitations.Compared with the British sailing ships and paddle steamers invading China at that time,it was large,anti-sinking and maneuverability,but its sturdiness,navigation,speed and combat performance were far different from those of the Western countries at the same time.