Louchuan

File:Songrivership3.jpg

A Song dynasty louchuan with a trebuchet, depicted in the Wujing Zongyao

Louchuan (Template:Zh) were a type of Chinese naval vessels, primarily a floating fortress, which have seen use since the Han dynasty. Meant to be a central vessel in the fleet, the louchuan was equipped for boarding and attacking enemy vessels, as well as with siege weapons including traction trebuchets for ranged combat.

Description

Historical records relating to the louchuan are found in sources such as the military treatise Wujing Zongyao, written during the Song dynasty, and the Taibai Yinjing from the Tang dynasty. From the latter (as translated by British biochemist, sinologist, and historian Joseph Needham), the tower ships were described as:

The use of such ships in riverine warfare, especially along the Yangtze River, stretches back to the late Han dynasty, and perhaps even earlier.

See also

• Naval history of China
• Battle of Lake Poyang