Treasure ship

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A Treasure ship is the name for a type of vessel that the Chinese admiral Zheng He commanded on his nine voyages. Treasure ships were mammoth ships with nine masts, four decks, and were capable of accommodating more than 500 passengers, as well as a massive amount of cargo. At the time, these ships were by far the largest marine craft the world had ever seen.

Zheng He's fleet included 62 treasure ships, with some reaching 146 m (600 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft) wide. On the ships, there were over 28,000 people, including navigators, explorers, sailors, doctors, workers, and soldiers.

After Zheng He's voyages, the treasure ships were decomissioned, and sat in harbors until they rotted away. Chinese craftsmen of the time forgot the technology of building such large vessels.

[edit] Appearances In Games

WizKids' Pirates of the Spanish Main constructible strategy game contains two Treasure Ship game pieces: the Baochuan, a convention-exclusive game piece available in 2005 as a tie-in to the Pirates of the South China Seas expansion; and the Guichuan, a promotional game piece available in late 2005 as an incentive to buy the Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse expansion. It is also included in the game Sid Meier's Pirates!

[edit] References

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