The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 115 Settling on Qing'ao Bay

After the three Seawolf-class frigates completed their refit.

The beach dry dock was also completed at the same time.

Lin Qian ordered the Saint Anna to be sailed into Qing'ao Bay. To ensure safety and reduce the pressure on the keel when it was grounded, all the supplies on board, from cannons and gunpowder barrels to swords, cannonballs, hammocks, and personal belongings, were unloaded.

Of course, large pieces of furniture, such as the walnut bed and nautical table in the captain's cabin, and the long table in the officers' mess, are too bulky to be transported off the ship. They would have to have their doors sawed open, which would be too much trouble, so they are left on the ship.

On the beach of Qing'ao Bay.

Lin Qian looked at the cannons being unloaded from the crane of the St. Anna and felt quite uneasy.

The Saint Anna is his mainstay, and if the ship is overhauled, his strength will be greatly reduced.

But there was nothing they could do; no matter how strong the Santa Ana was, it was still made of wood.

It's been almost half a year since I set sail from Manila.

Let's not even mention the previous damage to the anchor chain.

When they attacked Li Kuiqi, the deck was smashed and several holes were punched in it.

After several storms, several sails had holes in them, and the ropes were worn thin.

The leaks in the lower deck have become increasingly severe, to the point where water needs to be pumped out every day.

In addition, there were quite a few rats on the ship.

If we wait any longer, the situation will only get worse, and it will be too late to fix it then.

The Santa Ana spent a whole day just hoisting miscellaneous items, and another two days unloading the cannons.

On the third day, the entire ship was finally emptied and all personnel disembarked.

Taking advantage of the high tide at midnight.

Lin Qian stood on the Qing'ao Bay pier, with Chen Jiao and Jose standing behind her.

One of these two is currently acting as the Director of the Construction and Public Works Department and must be present.

The other one at least has some knowledge of European navigation, which might come in handy if something goes wrong after we break ground.

Before the three of them, they saw several thick cables tied to the hull of the St. Anna.

The cables extended forward to the shore, then split into several strands, which were pulled by five hundred prisoners, slowly dragging the St. Anna toward the dry dock.

As the tide receded, the bow of the St. Anna was already positioned on two rows of wooden slipways.

The wooden stake slide was pushed to one side, and countless grains of sea sand were churned up.

"Wow!"

A wave of water surged in.

The mute Huang immediately waved his hand.

One of the prisoners shouted, "Rise!"

The prisoners strained together, and with the help of the tide, the large sailboat moved forward a few more steps.

As the tide receded, Huang Yi, the mute man, clenched his fist.

"stop!"

The prisoners stopped exerting force, but they didn't loosen their grip.

At this moment, the carpenters waiting on both sides of the large sailboat, holding scrapers, rushed forward through the waves and vigorously scraped away the barnacles from the hull.

Time was of the essence, so the carpenters wielded their knives swiftly, cleaning only the parts where the hull and the runway met, quickly scraping off clean planks.

After the wind had cleared the area, another wave of tide came in.

Another command rang out on the beach: "Rise!"

The carpenters who were scraping barnacles all stepped back upon hearing the command.

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"

The prisoners chanted in unison and stepped forward together, pulling the boat with all their might.

With the sea breeze, the beach, and the big waves, it has a kind of momentum to fight against the sky and earth.

After being pulled several times, the large sailboat moved forward more than ten steps, and half of its hull was already on the slide.

The cleaned planks scraped by the carpenters fit perfectly into the slide, ensuring that there would be little resistance when pulling the towline later.

As the person fell into the water, someone shouted "Stop!" from a distance.

The carpenters waiting around the large sailing ship rushed forward to scrape the rear half of the hull.

An elderly carpenter shouted, "Watch your step! Don't step into the pit!"

Due to the repeated pressure from the large sailboats, a deep gap had formed between the wooden slide and the sand. If someone accidentally stepped into it, the tide would rise behind them, and the sailboat would move forward, crushing their foot into a bloody pulp.

The carpenters were soaked to the bone in the waves, but they didn't care. They gritted their teeth, worked hard, scraped themselves clean, and took advantage of the surging tide.

A voice called out from afar, "Rise!"

The carpenters who were scraping barnacles all left.

Seeing this, José asked, "Why not wait until all the barnacles have been scraped off before pulling the cable?"

Chen Jiao explained: "Because the high tide is very short, we have to take advantage of the rising tide to pull the boat ashore and send it into the dock at the peak of the tide."

If it gets late at 1 a.m., and the tide goes out, all our efforts will be wasted, so we have to act quickly.

The slide was sloped, and once the prisoners lost their grip, the large sailing ship would slowly slide into the sea under its own weight.

Moreover, each wave is not of the same size. Sometimes the peak of the next wave meets the trough of the previous wave, and the surges cancel each other out, forming destructive interference.

Sometimes, the wave crests overlap, a phenomenon known as "constructive interference," forming a larger surge.

Lin Qian noticed that the commands for rising and falling were only given when there were large surges with mutual interference, which required precise control and meticulous observation of the tides, a truly astonishing method.

Then, another sound rang out.

"stop!"

At this point, most of the large sailboat was already above the water, and its bow had entered the dock.

There were only slight ripples here, and the bow of the boat could no longer float.

"Apply oil!"

At a command, a dozen or so crew members who had been waiting rushed forward and filled the gaps between the bottom of the ship and the slipway with the semi-solidified grease in their hands.

Several people were also applying grease to the front of the slipway. They were applying a lot of grease, but this was not a waste. Compared to the grease, the loss would be greater if the large ship were damaged or unable to land smoothly.

"Watch your step!"

Watch your step!

One of the boatmen kept reminding them.

After a few waves receded, the oil was almost completely applied.

"rise!"

After repeating this process several times, nearly half of the Santa Ana's hull had entered the dock.

At this moment, Chen Jiao looked at the coastline and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He whispered, "The tide line is not moving. The tide has arrived!"

Huang, the mute, also noticed Chaofeng. He patted his apprentice on the shoulder, who glanced at him, his Adam's apple bobbing. Then he took a deep breath and shouted to the crowd behind him, "Chaofeng's here! Give it your all!"

"rise!"

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"

Everyone was determined and worked even harder.

Although the prisoners were forced to work, whether it was due to the infectious atmosphere or their fear of the whip, they all put in their utmost effort.

As the waves surged into the slide, the prisoners pulled together, dragging the large sailboat seven or eight steps.

The apprentice's eyes lit up and he said, "Master, if we keep pulling like this, we're sure to be able to hold our ground!"

Dumb Huang remained calm and composed, making no move, his eyes fixed on the tide.

A moment later he clenched his fist.

"stop!"

Carpenters and boatmen around rushed forward, working against the clock.

Jose muttered, "You guys are a bunch of lunatics!"

Europe also has this technique of beaching ships for repairs, but they usually only beach themselves for one night for emergency repairs, and then sail away when the tide comes in the next day.

José had never seen anything like this before, where a large ship was pulled so far from the coastline by the use of waves to aground.

Within minutes, the tide line had begun to recede.

Chen Jiao whispered, "Damn it, the tide is going out."

Lin Qian looked at the large sailboat. At this time, half of the St. Anna's hull was still outside the dock. Once the tide started to recede, this half of the hull would not be able to be pulled into the dock by force.

Jose watched with great tension and said, "Captain, I'll go pull the rope too."

Lin Qian said, "Pulling cables is a skill, you can't do it, just watch."

In the distance, the apprentice Xiao Jiu reminded him, "Master, the tide is going out."

Unmoved, Huang the mute raised his hand once again as the waves surged.

"rise!"

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"

Hundreds of men gritted their teeth, their muffled shouts striking people's hearts like war drums.

Lin Qian's expression remained unchanged, but her hands involuntarily clenched into fists.

"Almost there! Everyone, give it your all!" A craftsman risked his life to get close and observe from the side of the slide, shouting loudly.

At this moment, half of the Santa Ana's hull had left the slipway and was slightly raised, which was the most dangerous time.

"Whoosh!" A huge wave surged in, sweeping everything away, and rushed into the dock without warning.

Dumb Huang waved his hand vigorously.

Apprentice Xiao Jiu shouted with all his might, "Up!"

Then all the craftsmen, along with the prisoners, shouted together, their voices drowning out the waves and the gale.

Finally, the St. Anna slowly tilted forward and settled firmly on the keel block. The ship's own weight pressed the keel block to the sides, and thanks to the deformation of the sand, the keel block fit the hull perfectly.

With everyone pulling the ropes, the large sailboat was dragged along the keel block, which was coated with a thick layer of grease.

Finally, after a few creaking sounds from the wood being pressed together, the Santa Ana successfully landed.

The mute Huang ordered his men to close the wooden dock door to block the tide, then waved his hand behind him, and the apprentice shouted, "Release!"

The prisoners slowly released their grip, and the large sailing ship remained motionless.

A deafening cheer erupted from Qing'ao Bay!

……

After the St. Anne's ship was grounded for repairs, Lin Qian's workplace was moved to Nan'ao City, where she chose an ordinary house on the south side of the island.

All the houses on the island were built in a hurry. Ordinary houses and shops were only recently completed. Although the land for the government offices was reserved, construction had not yet begun.

The offices of the four departments of military affairs, civil affairs, public works, and criminal justice were scattered in various houses in the city, which did indeed make them look less imposing than government offices.

Unfortunately, the most important thing in Nan'ao right now is the overhaul of the St. Anna, and most of the craftsmen on the island have been transferred to the Qing'ao Bay shipyard.

The construction of Nan'ao City has to be put on hold for now.

Even after the St. Anne's repairs are completed, the construction of reservoirs, granaries, and dry docks will take precedence over government offices and residences.

There are also artillery emplacements. Lin Qian didn't include artillery emplacements in the list of projects to be built because Nan'ao Island lacked artillery.

Trade with Ambrose is now progressing steadily.

When the winter or twelfth lunar month arrives, Lin Qian plans to purchase a batch of Apostle Cannons with Fatty An. These cannons are heavier and have a larger caliber, making them perfect for use as coastal defense artillery.

On Lin Qian's desk, there is now a special basket piled with various blueprints.

The design drawings for the forts are among them. On this version of the drawings, Lieyu Island outside Shen'ao Port, Changwei Mountain in the southwest of Nan'ao Island, Yuanyu Island in the east of the island, and Guanyu Island in the south of the island are the preliminary sites for the forts.

During lunch, Lin Qian called Zhou Xiucai over and talked about the matter of dragging Master Hu into the mess.

According to Zhou Xiucai's report, Hu Dongzhu has already accepted a deposit of 10,000 taels.

The ship has finished loading its cargo and is heading to Macau. It should be able to return to Chenghai County in ten days at most.

As long as this voyage goes smoothly, Hu Dongzhu will book more voyages, which means he has been dragged into the mess.

Lin Qian said, "Remember to buy some canvas and ropes on the way to Macau on your next voyage." These are consumables, and Nan'ao Island doesn't have the capacity to produce them itself. Purchasing in large quantities would easily arouse suspicion. It's best to bring some back each time you go to Macau.

“I’ve got it.” Zhou Xiucai nodded. “Master, when are we going to confront Master Hu?”

"Let's wait a while longer, and tie him up tighter with silver before we talk about it."

Lin Qian could choose to use violence to force Hu Dongzhu to submit now, but that would be a poor choice.

Using shared interests to bind Hu Dongzhu to the ship is a more prudent approach.

After talking about Hu Dongzhu, Lin Qian asked about the literacy campaign on the island.

Zhou Xiucai said with a wry smile, "According to the captain's plan, literacy education will only teach reading, writing and arithmetic. However, there are not many teachers on the island, only five have been recruited, and there are even fewer students. Less than a hundred people come to listen to the lessons every day, and even fewer come every day."

Changing customs and traditions is the most difficult thing.

The islanders have survived to this day by rowing, diving, and being agile. Reading and writing are meaningless to them, so naturally no one is willing to learn.

Zhou Xiucai suggested, "Sir, how about we give a meal to everyone who comes to school?"

Lin Qian slowly shook her head. People attracted by a free meal would never listen attentively in class. If the meal were actually given out, the literacy effect might not be as good as it is now.

Lin Qian asked, "Where is the school located, and what time does it start each day?"

"The classes are held on an open space near the edge of the forest on the south side of the island, starting at dawn and ending at dusk every day."

Lin Qian clapped her hands: "That's right, who would take time off work to study? Starting tomorrow, all classes will be moved to the evening, and the class time will be shortened to two hours."

Zhou Xiucai's mouth dropped open; in his memory, no school looked like this.

"How can I see the book clearly when I have class at night?"

Lin Qian smiled and said, "If you can't see the book clearly, just light some beeswax. Don't be stingy with these candles; light one at each desk and make the school bright and clean."

Zhou Xiucai looked on with surprise.

Lin Qian continued, "The location of the school also needs to be changed. Move it to the north of the island, and place it in the middle of a less crowded road. That way, the islanders can see it on their way home. If they are interested, they can listen to a passage, and if they glance at it, they can recognize a word. Even if they don't look at it at all, at least it will provide some light."

What Lin Qian said was completely different from what Zhou Xiucai remembered about the school, but after thinking about it for a moment, he felt that it made a lot of sense.

After all, the school didn't teach the Four Books and Five Classics. Lin Qian only required the students to be able to recognize characters and numbers, read and write in simple vernacular, and do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Perhaps, as the helmsman said, the most effective learning method is to simply glance at what you see along the way.

After lunch, Lin Qian, accompanied by four guards, went to Houjiangwan Wharf and took a boat to the Qing'ao Bay maintenance site.

The Saint Anna was his livelihood, and Lin Qian valued it highly, checking on its progress every three to five days.

At this moment, the beach at Qing'ao Bay was bustling with activity.

You can see the large sailboat sitting on the beach from afar. At this time, all the sails and cables have been removed, and the hull is supported by huge round logs.

Hundreds of artisans were busy around.

Further away on the dry beach, you can see canvases drying in the sun.

When these canvases were hung on the masts, they didn't seem like much, but when they were laid out on the beach to dry, people realized how huge they were, with dozens of sails almost completely covering Qing'ao Bay.

The small boat docked on the beach of Qing'ao Bay. Lin Qian disembarked and looked around the beach.

Dozens of carpentry apprentices were sanding planks on the beach. They used planes to quickly plan the planks, scattering sawdust all around them.

When Lin Qian arrived, some people would look up and greet her, but most were too busy to even look up.

In the distance, on the beach near the woods, prisoners were transporting logs. Most of these logs had been felled when they arrived on the island, or had been dried in the shade in Shen'ao Harbor for many years.

A master carpenter is cutting and marking the lines for a log.

Lin Qian stepped forward and saw the master craftsman holding a wooden model, gesturing on the log for a long time, before putting away the model, picking up the ink line, and having his apprentice pull one side to draw a long line.

The master craftsman flicked his finger, leaving a straight ink mark on the log. He moved the inkwell down a few inches and flicked it again, drawing two parallel lines. He connected the ends of the two lines with a charcoal pencil, creating the shape of a vertical wooden board.

The master craftsman led his apprentice a few steps forward, and after flicking the ink line several times, a design drawing of different sizes was drawn on a giant piece of wood.

Even the bends in the branches weren't wasted; the master craftsman took out a charcoal pencil and sketched out a curved board.

It appears to be material used for ribs or bow planks.

Even though the island had abundant timber, the craftsmen did not cut down trees indiscriminately; they made the most of every tree.

"Master Carpenter?" After the cutting and setting of the material were completed, the master carpenter looked up and saw Lin Qian standing to the side.

Seeing Lin Qian staring at the log, the master craftsman explained, "This is camphor wood, used for making Class A planks. I'm currently laying out a sample of the wood."

"It's alright, go about your business," Lin Qian said gently.

"Yes," the carpenter replied, and ordered the prisoners to carry away the log that had already been placed as a sample.

The next step involves apprentices using axes and saws to cut the wood along the inscribed lines, thus defining the basic shape of the ship planks.

Once the basic shape of the ship planks was determined, some were sent to be heated and bent, while others were sent to be planed and drilled.

Throughout the beach, the carpenters were busy yet organized.

"Captain." Lin Qian heard someone call him from behind.

Lin Qian turned around and saw Jose smiling seductively behind her.

Since the last time he ran aground, Jose has stayed in Qing'ao Bay to help with the maintenance of the large sailboat.

Lin Qian asked, "How's the progress these past few days?"

Jose said, "We just hung up the barnacles and have been checking the bottom of the ship these past few days."

As He Sai spoke, he led the way toward the dock.

"It's been a while since the last overhaul of the Santa Ana. Many of the hull plates are infested with ship maggots and need to be replaced."

As the two men talked, they passed a stretch of hard sand where dozens of cannons were placed. Most of the cannons were covered with cloth, but a few were exposed, and boatmen were wiping them with greasecloths.

When Jose saw Lin Qian looking at the cannons, he explained, "Cannons need to be oiled regularly to prevent rust. Some cannons are already rusty, but fortunately the rust isn't too bad, so they can still be used."

Lin Qian asked, "Are the four newly purchased Siren cannons still here?"

"exist."

As José spoke, he gestured to the boatmen to lift up the tarpaulin.

Four bronze cannons were exposed, their barrels gleaming with a cold, bluish-gold light in the sunlight.

The four cannons, each about seven or eight feet long with a muzzle of about half a foot, had long barrels, thin heads and thick tails, and looked extremely well-proportioned. They were already placed on wooden gun carriages.

Lin Qian leaned closer to look and saw that the four cannons had smooth surfaces and straight barrels, indicating that they were extremely well-made.

At the rear of the cannon, near the powder chamber, there is an engraving of a monster with a human head and a bird's body, which seems to be the image of a siren. Below it is a string of Portuguese inscriptions.

Lin Qian pointed to the inscription and asked Jose what it meant.

Jose said, "That's the name of the Portuguese cannon foundry, the Bucarão Cannon Foundry. It's famous for its exquisite craftsmanship."

Lin Qian compared the Portuguese cannons with the Spanish cannons on the ship and could see that the Portuguese cannons had a smoother surface and fewer pores.

Lin Qian was very satisfied with the Portuguese people's "craftsmanship".

Beside the cannon, five or six boatmen were applying oil and wiping the shells.

Lin Qian asked the boatman for a gun, and as soon as she held it, she felt that it was very heavy, and a chill came from her palm.

Lin Qian felt the surface of the shell for a while and found that it was very smooth with no obvious sharp edges or protrusions.

After comparing it to the muzzle, there was basically no large gap.

Lin Qian returned the cannonball to the crew member, grabbed a handful of sea sand, and wiped the grease off her hands.

Based on our current estimate, this shell weighs about ten pounds, which, according to later artillery classifications, would roughly be classified as a twelve-pound cannon.

Europe does not currently have the practice of classifying artillery based on the weight of its shells.

Both Spain and Portugal liked to name their cannons after angels and monsters from the Bible, so this cannon was called the Siren Cannon, and the larger caliber one was called the Apostle Cannon.

Other European countries preferred to name their cannons after various birds and beasts, such as eagle cannons, snake cannons, falcon cannons, and so on.

According to the customs of continental European countries, this Siren cannon is basically equivalent to the half-snake cannon.

Seeing that Lin Qian was interested in the Siren cannon, José then explained the origin of the cannon's name and the history of the Bucharau cannon foundry.

Lin Qian had someone cover the tarpaulin with the rain cover, and then walked towards the large sailboat.

When we got to the temporary dry dock, we saw that a wooden wall had been installed around the sand pit to prevent it from collapsing.

There was a slight seepage at the bottom of the pit, but fortunately it wasn't serious.

The barnacles on the bottom of the boat had been cleaned off, leaving only rings of white residue.

More than ten shipwrights were standing in the pit, hammering and banging on the bottom of the ship.

Seeing Lin Qian approach the pit, the mute Huang stepped forward and bowed.

Lin Qian simply jumped into the pit and said, "You go ahead with your work, I'll watch from the side."

The mute Huang Linglin returned to the side of the boat, where he was holding a wooden mallet and tapping the bottom of the boat very carefully, making sure that every plank was hit.

Apprentice Xiao Jiu explained, "Helmsman, we're looking for ship maggots."

Lin Qian nodded.

With continued tapping, a different sound finally emerged from one of the base plates.

The mute Huang bent down and asked someone to bring an oil lamp to check. Then he called out a few more times, pointed to a spot, and gestured for Lin Qian to look.

Lin Qian followed his example, bent down and held up the lamp to look, and sure enough, she saw several inconspicuous small holes in the wooden board.

The mute man, Huang, told his apprentice to call for help, and they brought an axe and a saw to remove the plank.

In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the wooden board was removed, and the mute Huang presented it to Lin Qian.

Jose got goosebumps and whispered, "Helmsman, it's best not to look at the ship maggots."

Lin Qian said, "It's alright."

He knew what ship maggots looked like; he just wanted to see the extent of the damage they had caused to the St. Anna.

With a small axe, Dumb Huang easily cleaved a crack in the boat plank, and then with a forceful snap, the plank broke in the middle.

On the cross-section, there were five or six holes, and maggots that looked like noodles were flowing out of the holes.

This thing is a shipworm.

This thing looks like a maggot, but it's actually a type of shellfish, and it tastes quite delicious. If you think about it that way, you won't feel disgusted.

At least that's how Lin Qian overcame it.

After all the maggots had drained away, Lin Qian took the plank and saw several large holes through which light could pass through on the cross-section. The thinnest part of the plank was only about half the width of a hand.

Shipworms feed on wood, which continuously weakens the wood. This is why even a thick piece of ship plank could be broken by Dumb Huang with his bare hands.

If it weren't for the current practice of inspecting and cleaning in dry docks, ship maggots would have gnawed through the entire hull within a year or two, causing the ship to flood and sink.

Around the plank where the ship maggots were found, other planks were also found to contain ship maggots. The craftsmen removed the planks one by one, and in a short time, a section of the bottom of the ship was empty.

Apprentice Xiao Jiu said, "Helmsman, the entire hull of this large sailing ship is made of teak. This type of wood is oily and resistant to insects, effectively preventing ship maggots..."

Seeing Lin Qian looking at the wooden plank where the ship maggots were found, the apprentice Xiao Jiu explained, "Once ship maggots are found, there are usually more around. A large sailing ship has been at sea for so long, so it's already quite rare for it to have only a few ship maggots."

Ship maggots are most abundant in tropical and subtropical waters. The Santa Ana sailed intensively in these two areas for almost half a year. It was fortunate that it had a teak hull, otherwise it would have succumbed to the rigors long ago.

Seeing that Lin Qian did not ask any questions, Xiao Jiu continued, "Unfortunately, teak comes from Southeast Asia and is not found on Nan'ao Island, so Master used camphor wood instead."

This type of wood is brittler and less oily than teak, but its advantage is that it is equally resistant to decay and insects, and less prone to shipworm infestation.

The mute Huang nodded repeatedly, clearly indicating that what his apprentice said was exactly what he wanted to say.

Encouraged, Xiao Jiu continued, "Lychee wood is used for the ribs and fenders of large sailing ships. This wood is rot-resistant, insect-resistant, and sturdy, no worse than teak. However, it is too hard and difficult to cut, so it is only used in critical areas."

Lin Qian didn't quite understand what Xiao Jiu was saying. She hadn't expected that there were so many things to consider just in selecting the wood for shipbuilding. It was true that professional matters should be left to professionals.

Lin Qian then pressed for details about the timber.

According to the apprentice, different types of wood have vastly different properties. For example, the most expensive ironwood in Southeast Asia has a strength that rivals that of steel.

Lin Qian's sextant was made of ironwood and had been used for more than half a year without any deformation.

Fast-growing woods such as poplar and willow are soft, weak, not resistant to corrosion, prone to cracking, and susceptible to insect infestation, making them unsuitable for use in marine vessels.

It can be said that the differences between different types of timber are even greater than the differences between different types of steel. To build large sailing warships, having money, technology, and production capacity is not enough; you also need a massive amount of high-quality timber.

Lin Qian asked, "What is the best type of wood for building ocean-going ships?"

Dumb Huang pointed to the Saint Anna.

The apprentice said, "Master said that it should be teak from the large sailing ships. It's a pity that this kind of wood is very rare in the Ming Dynasty, and it is mostly found in the Annam and Mong Kok areas of Southeast Asia."

"Oh." Lin Qian didn't show any expression on her face, but secretly memorized the origin of the teak.

(End of this chapter)